You Be the Anchor
by MontanaOakley
Summary: People would stare in awe wondering how it felt to have everything you could possibly ask for; friends, the status and good looks. He was golden. But at the same time...he had nothing at all. Until he met her.
1. Deafening Silence

Hey, I'm thinking that I am going to try writing a lot more since it's an outlet to a lot of feelings that I suppress. This story is going to be something that is different than anything I have ever written. I would like to ask for you to give it a chance. Thank you.

* * *

**"And I'll be here by the ocean, just waiting for proof that there's sunsets and silhouette dreams. **

**All my sand castles fall like the ashes of cigarettes and every wave drags me to sea.**

** I could stand here for hours just to ask God the question, 'Is everyone here make-believe?' **

**With a tear in his voice, he said, 'Son, that's the question.' Does this deafening silence mean nothing to no one but me?"**

**You Be the Anchor, Mayday Parade.  
**

Eyes drained from the previous night, Troy Bolton swung his aching legs over the edge of his bed, kicking off his crumbled sheets in the process. He rubbed his tired eyes, hoping that just maybe he would reopen them to find himself somewhere else; anywhere but here. Instead, when his eyes finally opened once more, he was greeted by the same four walls that made him feel imprisoned. But this was not any kind of confinement…this was what he called home.

He had grown up in Albuquerque, New Mexico his entire life and still could not find a single perk that could have possibly drawn his parents to the area. For the most part, it was suburban town with friendly neighbors that knew every detail about each other's life. This was something that even an enclosing fence for privacy would not be able to prevent.

Like every morning, Troy walked the distance from his bedroom to the bathroom that was just down the hall, the noises of his parents arguing welcomed him to a brand new day as it was every day. As he leaned his hands against the counter around the bathroom sink, Troy wondered how it was even possible for every part of your body to be in pain and to ache with some kind of need that he knew he would not be able to fulfill. What he knew was pain and therefore, that was how he lived his life.

Each day he only lived for one single purpose; the purpose that got him out of his bed and off of his feet every morning. It was what he made his life about, what kept him going everyday. It was the need to be understood and to find someone who never judged his words. Of all the things anyone could ask for in the world, he yearned to be understood.

It was not until the night before that he finally decided to do something about the pain in his life and force it to come to an end. Picking up the nearly empty bottle of prescribed pain killers, Troy stuffed it in his pants to dispose of in order to destroy the evidence. When the all the events add up in his mind, Troy could not pinpoint an exact moment when he started feeling this way. He refused to call himself what he really was; suicidal.

He was the golden boy of East High. People envied him because what they saw when they looked at him was someone who was everything; someone who had everything. His best friends were Chad Danforth and Sharpay Evans, the ones he had grew up with and never left his side. They were his support system. He had the social status at school. Everyone loved him. And now, finally, Troy was even closer to finishing his senior year, only one half of the year left until he could graduate. To top it all off, he had the looks. The Abercrombie model body type, just more athletic. He had dark brown hair that fell slightly over his captivating eyes, making him look mysterious and causing most girls to swoon.

But what you see is not always what you get. Behind closed doors, Troy saw himself as a person that was grotesque and disgusting. He saw someone who had managed to screw up the marriage of his parents and get in the middle of the relationship between his closest friends Sharpay and Chad. He felt that he lived in a world made up of everything artificial with no real feelings. He found himself alone, feeling alone, with absolutely no one. But that was a side of him that no one saw and to him...that was what made him golden.

His parents started having problems when Troy was only twelve. His mother had found out not too subtly that when his father said he was working extra hours, he was not always telling the honest truth. Even then, this had been tough for Troy to deal with but since his parents had only chose to have one child, he did not have anyone to talk to about it. He chose to keep feelings in to himself, letting them build up for the past five years, constructing a wall that kept him apart from the rest of his world.

When Troy was only four years old in preschool, he had met Chad Danforth, who accepted him in every way, who had become a brother to him. Later on when the two boys were ten, Chad became infatuated with Sharpay Evans. Ever since, they had been the three who people always expected to be together. But no matter how hard both Sharpay and Chad tried, they couldn't break through Troy's wall. But they were never aware of how Troy really felt about his life.

No one would know how deep his pain cut through him. No one would know that he smiled whenever he thought of the tranquility that death would bring him. No one would know that he lost his faith when he was fourteen.

These were all of the things he fought to keep to himself and planned on never revealing. This was all true...until he met her.

* * *

The school was buzzing with anticipation of being back at school after holiday break. Reading the faces of different people in the crowd, she saw what she would decipher as being bored to be back at school already. She could read the fear on the freshmen faces whose classes had switched for the new semester. She wanted to just stop and pat them on the shoulder to let them know that there really was nothing to be afraid of. She remembered when she was a freshman, having heard rumors and legends of "Freshman Day" that was much like a hazing of all the new students, the one day that all of the upperclassmen could make complete fools of the 9th graders. Of course no such thing existed.

But now, three years later, she still felt like she was one of the freshmen of herself. Gabriella Montez was new to the school district, her mother having been transferred to Albuquerque over the holiday break. Her entire life, she had been familiar with moving around frequently. But for the past three years, she had stayed at one location, making high school an easier experience for her. Now, for the first time she resented her mother for being transferred half way through her senior year.

By far, this had been the largest school she'd ever attended. The bright white hall ways made it seem larger than it really was, even when they were swarming with other teenagers like her. With no idea what direction she was supposed to be headed in, Gabriella wandered aimlessly, feeling like a lost puppy.

"Hey Curly-Q," Someone called from behind her.

Freezing at the nickname that a few of her family members had always insisted on calling her, Gabriella held in a groan. Had her wavy dark brown locks betrayed her once more?

Great, she must have looked like a lost puppy, too, Gabriella thought to herself. Before turning to find out whether or not the statement had been directed at her, she sighed heavily.

She turned to come face to face with one of the prettiest girls she had ever seen. The blonde looked as though she had stepped right of a cardboard Barbie box with her shiny pink heels and mini dress that was bedazzled. She had a smirk on her face and a hand propped up on her hip.

"You are looking a little lost," the girl spoke once more, her voice laced with complete sarcasm.

Clearing her throat, Gabriella nodded. "Well considering I'm new to the school and feel like I am in a herd of boar, yeah, I'm a _little_ lost."

The blonde's eyebrows rose appreciatively; she loved people who didn't look up to her and act like she was somehow better than everyone else. Usually that came with the territory of being considered popular. Since she was the lead of the drama department at school, most people respected her and were aware of her status. Besides that, she dated one of the best players on the basketball team. "You know Curly-Q, I was contemplating on whether or not I would help you…but now that you have called me a boar…"

Gabriella's hands went up in mock defeat, "Oh no, no, no," She let out a small laugh. "Never would I link you into the same category."

"Okay, good." She clapped her hands together. "Now...whose homeroom are you looking for?"

"Darbus."

"Well Curly-Q, it looks as if you'll be seeing more of me. That's my homeroom," She told her, the same smirk never leaving the presence of her face. "I'm Sharpay. No it is not a breed of a dog. Just Sharpay." She extended her hand with her perfectly manicured fingernails that matched her outfit.

Gabriella smiled, shaking the hand of the girl who was offering her help. "I'm Gabriella." She could already sense a good start to the rest of her senior year. Maybe, just maybe, it was not going to be as bad as she had thought.

"Sure, sure, Curly-Q," Sharpay laughed, pretending to shake the name right off of her shoulders. "Now…follow me."

* * *

He took the last hit left of his cigarette, always finding that the most depressing, knowing that the calm he felt whenever he smoked was over. When he was younger he never thought he would rely on any kind of drug to make him feel better. He knew differently now. After hearing the late bell from outside of the school, Troy got out of his old white pick up truck, his ear pieces from his iPod blasting so that he could drown out the sound of reality.

By the time he got inside of the school, the halls were nearly emptied, the way that he liked it. Navigation was easy and so was avoiding most people. Rounding the corner that would take him to the hall that his homeroom was located, Troy took one last deep breath, winding the door handle of Darbus' room.

Sharpay's eyes lit up when he entered, Chad's eyes following his girlfriend's gaze. "It's about time you showed up," Sharpay said in a low voice that did not go unnoticed like she had planned.

"Yes, it _is _about time," Their mid-aged homeroom teacher who was in charge of the drama department screeched. "Bolton, it's fair too early in the new year to be asking for a detention! But then again, I have plenty of sets in the future that are going to need painting…"

Troy remained wordless, sliding into the same seat he had for the past three years, the sound of his music making it look as though Mrs. Darbus' lips were just moving with no sound coming out, reminding him of the infamous Charlie Brown's teacher.

"It won't happen again," Chad Danforth filled in for Troy who decided to remain mute. After all, the basketball team needed their MVP for the upcoming playoffs.

She shook her head before she resumed taking attendance, dropping the matter for the time being.

"Yo, Hoops," Chad whispered even though his quiet voice could be heard by everyone in the room. Sharpay rolled her eyes from her seat in the very front of the room. "What are you trying to do? Get detentions all season?"

Troy shrugged, still not comprehending any of the words around him.

Chad reached across the aisle in-between their desks, flicking one of the ear pieces out. "I said, are you planning on getting detentions all season?"

Once more, he shrugged, thinking that maybe that would not be one of the worst ideas Chad has come up with. Judging the smirk on Troy's face, Chad cut off his thoughts. "Don't even think of doing it now. Get your head in the game, Troy. You would be letting more people down than just yourself."

Troy recognized the truth in his best friend's words. Of course he would let people down. To Troy, that's all that life was about. He believed that nothing could be done without letting someone down. He could not make one of his parents happy without disappointing the other. He could not make himself happy without disappointing someone else.

Troy nodded a response, staring at the second hand on the clock as it ticked by, waiting the last ten seconds like that until the dismissing bell rang. The moment it did, he slid his foot out in the center of the aisle in-between the rows of desk, only to feel a pair of feet collide with his own, sending a body sprawling over him. With the quickest reaction he had all morning, Troy caught the girl who had tripped over him by her waist, wondering how he had not noticed someone sitting behind him. Usually, he was the last person in the first row of desks. She must have been new, Troy figured as he brought her back to her own feet as people shuffled out of the door around them.

"I'm so sorry," she said immediately, her face as red as a tomato and her voice flustered, as if it were actually her fault that Troy had inconsiderately thrown his foot in front of her.

With his hand still on her waist, helping her regain her balance, Troy shook his head, lowering the volume of his iPod with his free hand. "No it was my fault-"

"You coming Curly-Q?" Sharpay interrupted from the door. "Lucky you, we share all the same classes," She winked and added a genuine smile.

The girl with eyes that had Troy's mind transfixed nodded, hurried quickly away from and out of his grasp as if he was diseased. Sharpay waved quickly to Troy. "See you at lunch," she added before directing the girl in the opposite direction that he was headed, leaving an extremely confused and dazed Troy.

* * *

"And then she goes, 'No, you don't look like Brad Pitt'. I do, don't I? If anything, I am better looking." Jason Cross, a member of the basketball team who Troy and Chad had hung around with since middle school asked the lunch table of boys.

"Definitely better looking," Sharpay chimed as she approached the table, having heard part of the conversation. She claimed the empty seat next to Chad. "Guys my new friend is going to sit with us," Sharpay informed, not even asking if it was okay with them because in the end, she knew that she would have her way. "Curly-Q, there is a seat next to Troy," She pointed to the space across from her own.

Gabriella was used to hanging out with boys rather than hanging out with girls. Her whole life, she'd preferred hanging out with guys due to their ways of being easygoing. She nodded, shyly, taking the seat next to the boy she had made a fool of herself in front of in the morning.

"Okay everyone, this is Curly-Q. Curly-Q, this is Chad, Jason, Zeke, Brad, Matt, and Troy," She said pointing to each of the guys as she said their names. Gabriella noted that all of them looked as though they were clipped right out of a magazine. Sharpay took in her appreciative gaze. "Yeah, they are all on the basketball team," she winked. Gabriella allowed herself to laugh as the boys welcomed her to their lunch table.

"I wish my mom had named me something as cool as Curly-Q," Jason stated with his eyes wide in amazement.

Zeke elbowed his friend's side sharply, "You idiot, her name isn't really Curly-Q." There was silence at the table. "Or is it really?"

Hearing her cue to join in the casual conversation, Gabriella shook her head. "No, just the name that Sharpay insists on calling me. I am Gabriella, my mom was recently transferred here. I used to go to West High."

"Ooh, tainted blood," Chad Danforth said in a joking manner, making Gabriella feel even more at ease.

"Do you think that they have her bugged?" Jason asked in a whisper, making the whole table laugh. All but one.

Troy had his ear pieces in but on mute so that he could hear the conversation but have an excuse not to be apart of it. He studied the new girl, finding her familiar but could not figure out where he had seen her before. His forehead creased from the hard thinking as he was making himself believe that he was possibly losing his mind. He did not know her. No, she was just some girl who tripped over him, he convinced himself.

Dismissing himself from the table without even saying he was leaving, Troy exited the cafeteria, making Gabriella wonder if she had said something or maybe she smelt so incredibly bad that he could not tolerate sitting next to her.

Sharpay was an observer. She noticed every little detail about nearly anyone. Seeing Gabriella's change of posture, Sharpay shrugged. "Don't worry about Troy, Curly-Q. He doesn't have anything against you. He just likes detaching himself sometimes." Gabriella looked around to see the rest of the table in compliance and decided to believe her.

Surprisingly, she began to mold in well with Sharpay and her friends, as if she were meant to meet the blonde Barbie. She had always been one to believe in fate. If something happens, there is a reason for it. Gabriella decided that she was going to take it as a good sign that she already felt accepted. If things always rolled this smoothly, she knew she wouldn't have a problem at the new school in the least bit.

"I'm going to look around more before the end of lunch," Gabriella said as she rose from her spot at the table.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Sharpay offered, ready to join her.

"No it's really alright," She smiled and then waved a goodbye to the rest of the group.

Now, she knew the school was not really a labyrinth; it was simply her mind playing tricks on her. For the most part, Gabriella was great with directions. There was something about the hallways being crowded during passing time that caused her to have trouble finding her way. Now, with no one else around, Gabriella could find each of her classes easily. Locating the library and auditorium for later references, she smiled triumphantly to herself. Making record time, she even had time to spare.

Naturally, Gabriella was a curious person. So when she came to the door that once opened led to a flight of stares, she pursued it. Climbing the dark staircase while holding on to the railing to her right, she trudged up the stairs, wondering if she were even permitted to use the stairs. When she read the sign that said 'roof access', she knew that it was most likely frowned upon that she was up there. Screw it, she figured, since she was there already.

With a simple twist of a knob, Gabriella found herself surrounded by the most extravagant of flowers, bright pinks, reds, and blues. There were vines that twisted up the sides of an outdoor gazebo, right on top of the roof. With perfect view, she could see what looked like all of Albuquerque. By far, this was her favorite place she had seen out the new town that she lived. She was so mesmerized by the sights that she did not even notice the boy that she had been introduced to as Troy, leaning on the railing on the edge of the building.

"Don't jump," she joked, and to her surprise, he had actually heard her through the high volume of his music.

Troy sighed, turning off the iPod altogether. "Just admiring the view," He said with a tortured voice, sarcasm apparent in his tone.

"Sorry if I intruded-"

"No, new girl. What's mine is yours now, right?" He offered a weak smile. "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

Gabriella attentively walked near the railing that Troy was leaning on. "Not that I know of…"

"So that wasn't you who tripped over me this morning…"

Her face turned a shade of red. "Oh, no I thought you meant-"

He smirked. "I know what you meant." Absentmindedly, Gabriella fidgeted her fingers, circling her right wrist, causing Troy to watch her with amusement. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Gabriella answered, finding herself feeling shy for the first time all day. "I just kind of banged it against your desk this morning. I am what they call…clumsy?"

"No, that was my fault this morning." Troy shrugged, his eyes still trained on the town beneath them. "Can I see it?"

"What?"

Troy reached for her wrist, turning it over in his palm. Holding in her breath as his own fingers enclosed around her wrist, Gabriella tried her hardest not to look up at his face. "It'll probably only bruise. Looks like you'll survive another day here." He let go of her wrist as she nodded, not finding any breath in her to get out anything else.

"So…" Gabriella broke the prolonged silence. "What are you doing up here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I found the entrance by mistake and I just decided to see what was up here."

"Are you sure you didn't follow me?"

"No! No, I really didn't-"

"Hey, Gabriella, right?" She nodded. "I was just joking. I come up here for some breathing room. I can't even hear my own thoughts in there."

She studied him thoroughly, noticing the slouch of his shoulders and the haze in his eyes. "Sometimes hearing your own thoughts isn't a good thing," she muttered.

"What was that?" Troy asked, even though he was sure of what she said, only wanting to hear her say it once more.

"I said it is nice up here."

Troy smirked, looking at the ground below him. He let his mind wander; trying to imagine what it would be like to fly. He wondered if people who committed suicide by jumping from buildings or bridges had ever wondered if maybe they'd fly into another life or a new beginning. "Yes…it's nice up here."

**September 8****th****, 2009**

**You don't know me and it doesn't matter, you don't have to. Who you need to know is yourself. Take all the bad and negative in your life and count it up. This made you all that you are; it built you. Despite what you're feeling, you're strong. You can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it. One step at a time, I believe in you. There's always tomorrow and then the day after that. Don't expect too much from yourself. You're only human. **

**-B **


	2. Iris

The inspiration for this story came from I wrote this for you (pleasefindthis . blogspot . com) If you've never read any of it, I encourage you to do so. It's amazing beyond words could explain.

* * *

**"And I don't want the world to see me because I don't think that they'd understand. When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am."**

**Iris, Goo Goo Dolls**

He could hear his own blood pumping through his veins as his heart rate exhilarated to levels he had not thought possible. But Troy could not seem to set his mind on the net, therefore missing every attempt he made to get the basketball in its main destination. Groaning in pure frustration after missing what had to be the one hundred time, Troy heaved the ball across the court, smiling to himself in satisfaction as it hit the wall of the gym with a loud smack.

"You are not looking too sharp," an approaching all too familiar voice broke the silence, shoes squeaking on the freshly waxed floors. "You might want to pull it together before practices start again…double time." Coach Bolton, otherwise known as his own father, Jack Bolton, informed, fully aware that soon his team would have basketball practices twice a day; once at free period and another after school.

Troy bit his lip to avoid any kind of confrontation. It was only free period, half way through the day, he was not going to let his father ruin the rest of his day. "I am trying, Dad."

"Sometimes trying is not good enough."

Shaking his head, Troy rubbed his creasing forehead. Witnessing the motion, Jack's mouth opened in disbelief. "If you have something to say, son, get it out now."

"I do not have anything to say."

"Then wipe that look off of your face and get washed up," He said as a suggestion but really meant it as a demand.

He nodded, turning quickly on his heel to steer himself away from his father but paused momentarily, the words stinging the tip of his tongue. "You used to say the outcome didn't matter…as long as you tried. I _am _trying, Dad."

"Really?" Jack Bolton picked up an orange ball, the same ball that he had made his entire life about. "Try this." He aimed with perfection, stilling until he heard the sweet noise of the swishing of a basketball net. With a cocky smirk, Jack turned to his only son. "I want your mind on one thing and one thing only. Championship. Do you understand? Take anything else that is cluttering that mind of yours and discard it. It lacks importance."

His attention was deviated from his son to the wall of the gymnasium, his deep blue eyes studying the banners of previous championships that East High had won. There were none in the previous ten years. With a nod full of confidence, Jack bounced the ball beneath his finger tips once more. "It is going to happen this year. Mark my words."

Troy hated disappointing more than anything else. He shook his head. No, expectations only led to let downs. If he understood that, how come his father could not? "Don't get your hopes up too high," Troy advised with caution in his voice.

"Why not? With an attitude like that, you are bound to fail."

"If I fail, I fail with warning. But if I expect to win and then fail…I fail with disappointment," Troy tried to show his own side of the matter, hoping for some understanding.

Jack did not look at Troy directly in the face. His eyes scanned over the retired numbers that hung in jersey form on the gym wall. "P. Bolton 18…J. Bolton 25...do you see whose name is missing?" Jack asked rhetorically after reciting his own father, Peter Bolton's number and then his own. "Your name is. And it will remain that way." He let the ball fall at his feet, creating an uncomfortable silence for the both of them.

Without another word, Jack nodded as if dismissing Troy to the locker rooms, having nothing left to say.

"Don't embarrass us, Troy."

* * *

"Hey," Gabriella greeted with an breatheless voice as she slid into the seat beside Troy's. Since Sharpay sat on the opposite side of the room in their fifth period class, she had to find a way to keep her entertained the last class of the day. Troy of course was the only person who she knew that sat near her.

He replied with a nod, his iPod turned on like it always was, making Gabriella roll her eyes.

"Do you ever put that down?"

Slowly and deliberately, Troy withdrew the ear pieces, rolling the cord of the headset around his iPod, placing it carefully in is backpack. "Do you have a car, Gabriella?"

"No…"

"How about a computer? Cell phone? Something that you cannot live without?" Troy searched for a comparison.

"I have a computer…but I still talk to people," She sighed, defeated. He was stubborn. She'd been at the new school for a little over a week, having adjusted better than she had ever imagined. Gabriella was the type who enjoyed getting to know everyone and Troy made that difficult for her. Out of everyone she met, he was the one who would not stretch just that bit further and he was exactly the one that she wished would because she felt that he was someone a lot deeper than he initially let on.

Troy turned his shoulders slightly to make eye contact with her, finding her curious brown eyes to set his nervous system on fire. "I talk to people, what do you call this?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you are about as thick as a rock?"

He smiled the first real smile all day. "Maybe…but like I was saying. I bet that computer has served as an escape for you more than once."

More than you would ever know, she thought, but held her tongue.

"Now this…" Troy reached into his backpack, patting the spot where he had placed his iPod. "This is my escape everyday of my life."

"So you are really into music?"

With this, his eyes lit up like a candle. Bingo. Finally, Gabriella had found a way to make the one and only stone faced Troy Bolton, smile. This was a task that she had thought would be impossible.

"I guess you could say that," Troy played it off cool and casual, pretending to be disinterested in their side conversation.

"Well…" Gabriella toyed with the frayed edges of her notebook paper, finding that easier than making eye contact. "What kind of music do you listen to?" She bit her bottom lip in slight curiosity, wondering if he was becoming annoyed by her incessant questioning.

Troy shrugged, acting as though to think about how to answer it when in reality, the answer was tugging at his tongue. He didn't like this, not one bit. Usually, he kept to himself and that was how he got by. Now, all of a sudden, one girl is thrown into the mix and he gets flipped upside down? No, he was not going to have that. He tilted his shoulders towards her, his imploring eyes searching hers. Troy wished he could see what was so different about her. There had to be something. Sharpay even took a liking to her right away and that was something unheard of. "You know… the classics."

"The classics?"

"Some Bob Dylan…the other four fathers of rock and roll like Elvis and Chuck Barry. I have some of the Who, the Fray and some of the decent music that is out today," Troy paused to think. "There's not a lot of good music made these days, though."

Gabriella nodded, wondering how long she could keep a conversation going with him before he lost interest. She was determined to beat her time with each day she got to know him more. "Depends what genre you're listening to. If you're into the whole hip-hop scene, music is great today."

"That's not real music, Gabriella. You're not into that, right?"

"Oh, of course not," She answered quickly. Maybe too quickly.

"Mr. Bolton, Miss Montez, is there something more interesting to learn about that you would like to share with the rest of the class?" Mrs. Darbus, their homeroom teacher who also taught their last class of the day, Dramatic Arts which was required for graduation, asked with impatience.

Gabriella was fast to shake her head, but Troy just leaned back smugly, the look on his face clearly saying that he didn't care if he was disruptive or not.

"I let your tardy in homeroom at the beginning of last week slide, Mr. Bolton," She recalled, her lips thin with irritation. "I'm pretty sure you're well aware that I'm not _that_ kind so detention, after the last bell rings today I wish to see you and Miss Montez on the Auditorium's stage. Is that clear?"

Gabriella could have choked. Never once in her life had she received a detention. From across the room she could see Sharpay sniggering into her palm, following with a "shame on you" motion of her fingers.

"As day, Darbus," Troy smiled brightly as if he were just as excited about this as she was.

* * *

"You are acting a little sour," Troy pointed out the obvious as both he and Gabriella started to clean out the backstage dressing rooms used by the drama club.

"You got me a detention, jackass."

Troy held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, you were the one with the probing questions."

"Probing? I was not _probing_," Gabriella said with a huff as she attempted to lift an extremely heavy box of costumes.

Coming to her rescue, Troy caught the box before it slipped from her grasp, carrying it with ease to the corner of the stage, like they were instructed.

"I could have done that myself." She began to make an attempt at moving another box.

"Of course you could have," Troy laughed and picked up his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder.

With a questioning glance, Gabriella looked at the clock. "Where are you going?"

"It's been ten minutes…I'm leaving," Troy stated as if she should have already known the answer.

"But detention just started, it's not over for another forty minutes…"

"Oh…" Troy said with a smirk, the pieces coming together in his mind like a jigsaw puzzle. "You're a virgin, aren't you?"

"Excuse me?" Gabriella asked, her voice merely a squeak.

"A detention virgin," Troy answered, approaching her from behind, his arms going around her to take the box from her grasp, lifting it over her head like it was effortless. "Get your mind out of the gutter," He joked.

"Yes, this is my first time in detention," Gabriella said defiantly, "And I'd like it to be my last so you better stay."

"If I cut, I would get in trouble, it would have nothing to do with you."

She looked up at him with her best pout, wondering if it would work on someone other than her mother. "Would you really leave me here alone?"

He chuckled, finding it difficult not to laugh at her antics. "It is your choice, either you stay or you leave with me."

She bit her lip. She did not want to risk getting in any more trouble. One detention was enough for her. But then again, she did not want to stay there alone. "Are you sure we won't get caught?"

"Hey, I never said we wouldn't get caught," Troy reasoned, "But in all likelihood, Darbus won't step a foot in here. Trust me, I would know."

"Fine I believe you."

"Good because I haven't given you reason not to, have I?" Troy asked as he led her to the emergency exit door that was located backstage.

Without uttering another word and trying to make as little sound as possible, Gabriella practically tiptoed until she was clear of the building, letting out a loud sigh of relief. Once out in the open air, she smiled cheekily, laughing lightly since she had finally realized what it meant to have freedom stripped from you…even if it was for only ten minutes. Only did she snap out of her own world when she heard the quick clicking grinding noise of a cigarette lighter.

"That could kill you one day, you know," Gabriella exaggerated disgust.

He smiled at the thought. "Unfortunately, that would take years."

"Unfortunately?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you ask too many questions?" Troy diverted the attention from him without her realizing he was doing so.

She propped a hand on her hip as they talked in the parking lot of their high school, walking towards the white truck that Gabriella knew belonged to Troy. "I would rather ask questions then live life not knowing."

He pondered this thoroughly. There was something about her that intrigued him but still, he could not put a finger on what it was. Maybe because she was someone who was new to the school and someone he has yet to figure out. Either way, he could not help but want to spend the spare time that he had with her. The past few days had been the calmest he had in what felt like years.

Troy leaned against the door of his truck, his arms crossing loosely over each other while he took in long, deep hits on his cigarette. "Sometimes I think mass confusion would be an easy way to live."

Her eyebrows scrunched in question, the gesture not going unnoticed by Troy. "You should not say that though. Think about it seriously. We are young. I am only seventeen and I have an entire life ahead of me. I am unsure where I will be led and whether or not I will choose to follow and that's enough confusion for me to handle."

She spoke so easily with certainty that was enough to make Troy envy her. Gabriella had the right words to say and they were enough to make him change his mind and question his negative ways.

Gabriella leaned against his truck as well, playfully bumping Troy's shoulder with her own. "For a senior…your depth perception is way out of whack," She joked but there was some seriousness in her words. "Do me a favor?"

"Yeah?"

"First…" Gabriella took the burning cigarette from his hand, flicking it somewhere off in the distance. "We'll start there. Next, go easier on yourself, okay? Just say that you will."

His eyes changed from a lighter blue to a deep cobalt. "What makes you think that I don't already?" His tone was short like she had blown some kind of fuse.

Sensing the change, Gabriella's eyes narrowed. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, right," She said sarcastically, ready to give up the fight. He was just someone who would not open up. That was just something she was going to have to accept eventually. Her whole life, she was so used to everyone's words spilling out of their mouths for her. It was something that she considered a gift.

Troy faced her as if looking into her brown eyes would add credibility to his words. "I am fine."

Choosing not the back down, she stared back with equal force. South Pole and North Pole forcing themselves to come together…like repelling magnets. There was a tension there that neither of them could put a name to.

"You don't sound too sure of yourself. I mean, I don't like _probing _but I am just saying-"

Hearing her mock his word ignited a fire inside of him that he did not know was there. "I said I was fine."

She continued with her condescending tone of voice. "You know if you ever needed any kind of help-"

Troy cut her short once again. "Do I look like I need it?"

No longer beating around the bush, Gabriella nodded, studying the way that he stood, his arm propping his body up against the truck as he hovered over her, in a stance that was a little intimidating and empowering. "To be honest, yeah. You barely speak to anyone and when you do, your words are barely earnest. At least that is what I have seen," She said lightly but it was not taken that way. With Troy, every word cut to the core, sinking in so that he could feel their every meaning.

"Hey," Troy said simply, trying to shrug it off, "…you don't know me."

"And you don't know me but a stranger still has an eyesight with a clear vision and from the looks of it, you are lost Troy Bolton," Gabriella stated with confidence. "And I'm determined to figure you out, just to let you know. I'm on to you."

"What makes you think that if I really needed someone's help, I would ask you, new girl."

"I didn't. I just know a thing or two about helping people."

Troy's eyebrows rose. "Oh really?"

At this point, Gabriella wasn't sure if they were involved in a playful banter or a light argument, either way, it made her awake like the feeling of freezing cold water splashing against her face.

"Yeah, really."

He leaned in, his face only inches away from hers so that she could officially see the very contours of his face. She felt like touching him, reaching out to see if he was real. He frustrated her to no end, having been the only person that she could not figure out. Troy Bolton was an endless maze that even after such a short period of time, she found herself lost and looking for ways out, only to lead herself further into the twists and turns.

"I say…you are bluffing," He whispered and she felt his warm breath on her cheek, making her resist the urge to shiver.

"Are you afraid?" Gabriella dared to ask one more question just to see the reaction on the features of his flawless face.

"Do you want me to be?"

With that being said, he opened the door to his truck, jarring her from the deep trance that she had not even been aware that she was in. It took the jingle of car keys for Gabriella's mind to register that he was now leaving her, even more confused than she was before.

"You know, I don't like you, Troy Bolton."

"Enjoy the mass confusion," He made reference to the earlier remark with the same smirk planted on his face as if it were a permanent tattoo.

Curse him. She did not understand why he was so stubborn. That was when it dawned on her. Troy Bolton was her…in boy form. He was difficult, his head about as hard as a boulder. He believed his views were correct, and that was what kept him moving through the day. She shook her head, feeling a smile spread on her own face. She looked around at the almost empty parking lot, knowing that it truly was going to be a long second semester. The sound of an engine pulling away made her head snap to his truck, her mouth wide in realization.

"Hey! I need a ride!"

**September 16th, 2009**

**Remember a place in time. Pick a place, any place, like a shuffled card deck, hoping that maybe the person who your thoughts revolve around, would pick the same place, too. I choose to think of the mountain house, legs dangling over the edge of the dock, clear reflections in the water below as fireflies illuminate the night. I look to the right and take in his face, not because I planned on not seeing him everyday- but simply because he was who I looked up to. I remember every line in his forehead and every color that made up the strands of the irises in his eyes. I remember, because that is all I can do. You need to stop for a moment and let it all sink in. Take some deep breaths before you begin your fresh start. That is how I did it. You can, too. If I could be there every step of the way, I would. And when the worst is over and you see a lost soul, remember that at one time, that was you. Extend a hand. Until next time,**

**-B**


	3. Come Alive

This story may be slightly confusing to you, don't worry though, this is only the beginning. The pieces will come together soon, I promise.

* * *

**"I've finally come to realize that we are all the same; if there's nothing left to lose then there is everything to gain. All the paragraphs and pages you could write could not contain; it is curious and careless and it's flowing through my veins. The fear of growing old and doing what you're told."**

**You're Making it Come Alive, My Favorite Highway**

Gabriella felt like the entire student body was gathered by the bulletin board that was just outside of the auditorium, purposely trying to prevent her from even getting an inch near her class. And of course, the class was with the feared Mr. Simmons who found it disrespectful on the highest levels if you were to arrive late to his class.

She only had one more class after the one she was headed to, and then it was the weekend. To her, it was much needed and awaited for. But at this rate, Gabriella could not even see herself getting through the end of the day, let alone walking out the school doors when the final dismissive bell sounded. There was some minor pushing and shoving that she felt as she attempted to get through the crowd, but brushed it off her shoulder until she felt an intentional bump, a little rougher than the others. She turned, red-faced and ready to retort. "Hey what's your-"

"Hey, Montez," Troy said smoothly, his voice that same sexy timbre that alerted all of Gabriella's senses. He was doing is best to avoid the hype of students that were swarming the bulletin board, just as she was.

She offered a smile, the best she could do considering she was about ready to plow through the crowd. "Hey…do you have _any_ idea about what is going on?"

He shrugged simply. "Yeah, the schedule for basketball playoffs has been posted."

Gabriella eyed him suspiciously, taking in his stance that stood tall over her, towering almost, looking down on her. "You seem _so_ excited." Sarcasm had always been her second language.

Troy shrugged again, nodding his head to the left, indicating that he had found a way through. But it was another hallway, a crossroad to her main destination. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah…"

"Where are you even headed?"

"I have physiology with Simmons."

He nodded. "Ok, I can get you there. Just keep up, ok?" Troy scolded as if she were nothing more than a child, causing her to roll her eyes. She swore he did it purposely.

"I think I can manage." With that being said, the two began walking side by side down what seemed to be a deserted hallway. "So…" She began, not enjoying the noise of just their shoes on the carpeted floors. Gabriella was never one who could take silence for a period of time longer than a few seconds.

"So?"

She sighed. "Why aren't you excited for the playoffs? I mean…you are on the team."

"Yeah, what is your point?" Troy looked at her as if she had just made the most idiotic remark. "I'm not just on the team, I'm captain," He corrected cockily, allowing himself to smile.

Gabriella glared. "Same difference. Don't you live for this then? You should be pumped."

"Pumped?"

"Yeah…ready and just..not like this. You look about as amused as someone studying a toenail," Gabriella rounded the corner, wondering if Troy was walking faster just to make her work to keep his pace.

"I just don't care for it," He replied. "There is only so much basketball one person can take."

The way he said it made her wonder if he meant that on a deeper level. Too much to handle that forced you to crack…or too much to take that the sport became boring? She was not too sure.

She pondered this, chewing on her bottom lip. "I thought you loved basketball? I mean, you are not oddly obsessed, carrying a basketball around all day like someone I know," Gabriella coughed jokingly, referring to her new-found friend, Chad Danforth.

Troy laughed too, watching the way that she walked in long strides to keep up with him. He noticed the way her forehead creased when she talked to him and was in thought, and also the ways her eyes lit up at certain words he said. This was something that made him feel like she actually was taking an interest in him. Maybe he was glad for that fact, since it allowed him to know that the feeling was mutual. He would never admit to that though.

"I love basketball, sure. I just…" His voice trailed off as he looked at a nearby clock hanging in the hallway, three minutes to get to their classes.

"You just…?"

"Looks like we are here," Troy pointed to the door number of Mr. Simmon's classroom, effectively ending their short-lived conversation.

"Yeah… so much to learn," She said slowly, making it known that she was not referring to physiology as she eyed him down once more, feeling the same magnetism that she felt whenever her eyes dared to connect with his.

He shook his head with a smile on his face, wondering if this girl was ever going to give up. At first, he thought that he wanted her to. He thought that maybe she was just going to be someone who got in his way. Now…he decided it might be nice to have her around and have someone try to understand him. Who knew, maybe this was the start of something with meaning.

"Have fun," He called after she had entered the room, the sarcasm in his tone causing her to turn around and shoot him a death glare.

One more class period until he could see her again.

* * *

"And I want you all to have a good, clean, and safe weekend!" Mrs. Darbus bellowed, her cheeks a bright pink after she had finally ended her rant on Shakespeare that had seemed to take up the majority of the class. Sharpay was not complaining though, she loved the theater and to have Darbus so immersed in her preaching, she had not noticed she and Chad's eye sex they were engaging themselves in.

"You too, Mrs. D!" Jason Cross replied sincerely, smiling from cheek to cheek, causing Sharpay to roll her eyes. He was a lot to take on but then again, she had known him for so long that she was used to him. Stealing a quick glance at the clock, she noted that there were about five minutes until they could leave the classroom. Five minutes until the weekend. They were going to be the longest five minutes of her life, she knew it.

Allowing her hazel eyes to travel around the classroom, she scanned for any new notifications of theater productions that were coming up sometime in the near future. Nothing. Her eyes wandered aimlessly until they landed smack dab on the quiet basketball captain and the new girl that she had claimed as hers, finally a girl that she could eventually call her best friend.

Both teenagers looked as though they were in a conversation, Troy's eyes dancing and his body turned so that he could face Gabriella. Sharpay knew that it was far too soon to predict the future, but she also knew that in the past few weeks, she was seeing a side of Troy that she had not seen in a long time. He looked almost happy. It stunned her in every way possible. She did not understand what Gabriella's secret was.

She let her eyes roam over the girl's posture…she was turned facing Troy though, her back to Sharpay. She was dressed in dark jeans, a hoodie jacket and her hair pulled back in a loose bun. Nothing too fancy.

She must be easy, Sharpay thought, but then shook her head of the thought. No, Gabriella did not come off to be that kind of girl. Troy never went for friendlier girls, anyway. There had to be something, though. Something about her was making Troy Bolton unravel, slowly he was smiling more often, laughing regularly.

Sharpay would figure it out, she always did.

The sudden ring of the final bell caused her body to jolt upright, the snigger of her boyfriend who had witnessed a zoned out Sharpay get zapped back into reality was all she could focus on. Sharpay slapped Chad's bicep before linking her arm with his; the bipolar couple of East High.

"Hey G!" Sharpay called once they were out in the open hall, causing both Gabriella and Troy to come to a halt. Chad smirked at Troy who scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "G…T, tomato, tomato," Sharpay shrugged it off, reading Chad's mind.

Just when Gabriella had gotten used to her nickname being Curly Q, Sharpay decided to change it up. Of course. "Yeah?" Gabriella answered, confused just as Troy was, not sure if she was trying to gain her attention or his.

"So I am assuming you have heard about the party tonight, right?" Sharpay asked, knowing that it had been brought up several times at the lunch table throughout the week.

"Oh yeah, party," She mumbled. "Do you actually go to those things?"

Sharpay went wide-eyed, nodding urgently as Chad and Troy took the lead, making the conversation mobile. "I live for them."

Gabriella quirked her eyebrow with interest, maybe she was the one who was not understanding something. "A party like chips, dip and soda? Or a _party_, party?"

"_Party_."

"Great." She still did not seem too excited.

"Not a big fan?" Sharpay asked, a frown settling on her face.

"Nope. I do not usually associate myself with them," Gabriella shrugged.

"Oh, well come anyway," Sharpay insisted, "it will be fun."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I do not want to impose on your plans…" Gabriella said slowly, her eyes seeking out Chad, figuring that he must have originally planned on hanging out with his girlfriend.

"I'll take you," Troy interjected the conversation randomly, Sharpay's eyes closing into small slits as she studied him so intently, wondering if he was up to something.

He had to be, that was the only thing that really explained his actions lately. There had to be something that was going on…something…

"You go to parties?" Gabriella asked him, her eyebrows raising. From the start, Troy did not strike her as the partying type, mainly because he came off as an introvert.

"_Live_ for them," He mocked his blonde friend, ignoring her as she scoffed beside him, , walking alongside Chad who was zoned out in his own world, ready for the weekend.

Gabriella sighed, defeated. "Then I guess I should go?"

"Sure," Troy pretended as though he could not care less. But he did. He wondered if she could tell.

"This is going to be so much fun!" The blonde shrieked, her eyes lighting up like fireworks as she clapped her hands together. "We will initiate you, officially making you a Wildcat."

"Great," She mumbled once more, blowing a frustrated breath to get a curl that had fallen in front of her eye away from her face.

"Don't sound too excited, you might hurt yourself," Chad joined in jokingly. "We are on to your games, we know that you are just going to tell the Knights all of our plays."

"Oh yes, of course, because I seem like I know _so_ much about basketball," Gabriella giggled, slowing down when she felt someone pull on the key-chain on her backpack.

Troy flipped over the piece of metal, his fingers running over the indentations. _Don't forget_, he made out the words inscribed in the key-chain, not even noticing that Gabriella had come to a stop as he studied the chain, effectively causing the whole group to stop as well.

"It could all be an act. That could explain why she has been tolerating Troy, more than most people would," Chad gestured to his dazed friend as Sharpay snapped her fingers in front of his face, ending Troy's thoughts as his head snapped upright.

"You guys _tolerate_ me?"

"Yes, you and your Tin-man ways," Sharpay laughed.

"Tin-man…" Troy's voice trailed off in confusion. "Didn't he lack a heart?"

"You're definitely not lacking a heart," Gabriella nudged his shoulder playfully, assuring him that the banter was all in good fun; nothing more than a joke somehow sensing what he was thinking, making him do a double take. "You do however lack modesty."

"Keep it up Montez and you'll become the Hitch-man, lacking a ride home," Troy nudged back, admiring the shine in Gabriella's eyes as she continued to laugh.

Sharpay smiled widely, loving that her friend, Troy, was back and coming off as happy…this was new. "Now we can't have that, can we?"

**September 25th, 2009  
**

**I remember the splash of water, the squish of the sand beneath my feet, the muddy like floor seeping through the cracks of my toes. Usually, I don't remember a lot but when it comes to the mountain house...I recall every detail. I was being led out deeper into the warm water, the sun beating down on my skin, awakening me. This would be the first time I would learn how to swim. I had not known it then but that moment would be something I would refer back to my entire life. Why? Because I had not given up. I wanted to quit as I attempted what was called a "doggy paddle". He encouraged me to not give up. So I did not. And now, over twelve years later, I am still alive and hey- I can swim. So try something new today. Make a list of goals and figure out just how you will achieve them. Don't give up, don't even think of that pesky little "Q" word. Look at it this way...the world is your pool. Dive in. **

**-B**


	4. Welcome to Life

**"Welcome to life. Here's what it's like. Here's what it's always been; a shot through the dark, straight through the heart while you're in the light with them. And welcome to hurt, welcome to fear. It's better now that everybody's here. Yeah welcome to life."**

**Welcome to Life, Go Radio**

"Why are you fidgeting?"

"Why are you watching me?"

There was an uncomfortable shift and a tug at the shirt she had decided to wear. Why was she nervous? And why was Troy looking at her like that? She exhaled, figuring that it was the wisest decision to keep her eyes focused straight ahead.

His gaze was intense, switching from her to the road ahead of them, the truck coming to a slow stop at a deserted red-light.

Troy had gone home and showered quickly after his basketball practice so that he could be on time to pick her up. Of course, Gabriella had not been ready when Troy arrived, having him wait an awkward ten minutes in her living room with her mother. And the weird part, to him, was that he did not mind. It had been the opposite, since he was interested in seeing where the girl who had forced her way into his life came from. He was relieved that he had only met her mother.

Now, the two teenagers sat in silence in Troy's old beat up truck as he resumed driving, his thumb tapping lightly on the steering wheel to a beat that went along with the radio.

"It's kind of hard not to notice…" He answered, referring to her incessant movement in the passenger seat.

"Keep your eyes on the road then," Gabriella retorted, their argument far from serious as she smirked and reached for the radio dial, searching for a new station to tune into.

"Whoa, whoa. My car, my radio," Troy batted her hand away, his jaw locked and his face serious which only caused Gabriella to laugh.

She huffed dramatically, on purpose, crossing her arms over her chest. "So whose party is this anyway?"

"Tom Matthews, he plays defense on the team."

"I don't even know who he is…this is going to be so awkward."

Troy looked at her incredulously. "Are you serious? It is a party, meaning that he would be stupid if he expected only people he knew to show up. Don't tell me you are a party virgin, too."

"Well…"

"Shit," Troy laughed this time, shaking his head as he admired the girl to his right. She really was something else. "I knew it, that's why you didn't want to go."

She glared momentarily, and then shook her head slightly. "No I just was pretty sure that Sharpay would be with Chad the majority of the time, leaving me a loner, you know?"

He nodded tersely. "I'll steal Chad away for you, if you would like."

"Or…" Her voice trailed off as she looked out her window. "We could hang out? If that was okay… I don't know, I mean I know you have other friends and-"

"That'd be fine," Troy cut her off before she could even finish her bumbling. More than okay, he thought.

She was not too convinced, though.

"Well I don't want to be clingy like a leech or like you know, the annoying freshman that follows you around-"

"Again, Gabriella that would be fine. I don't know when you're going to realize that you don't annoy me," Troy finally stated what he had been thinking since he had met her.

Finally, she gathered up the courage to face him, their eyes connecting, almost making her want to turn away again…but she couldn't. "I don't know, Troy. There's just something about you that makes me feel like I'm really bugging you. Even the first day-"

"I have nothing against you, sorry," Troy cut her off once again, inside he was cursing himself for being so stupid. Normally, he did not mind when people felt like he was freezing them out but he did not want it to be that way with Gabriella. There was something there and either one of them had to be an idiot to deny the fact.

He was a cold person, he understood that much, which was also the reason he only hung out with a few people. To most of the students at East High, Troy was mysterious, quiet, and extremely talented on the basketball court. His father was the coach of the school's basketball team, the Wildcats, who had a great chance of winning the championship. Also, he was a gym teacher, which added even more mystery to who was Troy, since this allowed people to see where Troy came from, where he had gotten his good looks. And of course, this meant a lot because the bulk of the teenage girls who attended school at East High were interested.

A silence fell over the truck.

She reached for the radio in one fast motion, changing the station with a smile of victory, having moved too fast for Troy to stop her. A song had just came to its end, a new one's beginning melody alerting Gabriella as her shoulders straightened, a smile fighting its way on to both her face and Troy's.

"Oh I love this song," She stated.

Their eyes connected once more and Gabriella drew in a sharp breath. "Me too," He said, his voice low.

"_I've been roaming around always looking down at all I see_…"

"Oh come on you're going to ruin it," she joked as Troy bellowed, purposely exaggerating the lyrics. Nonetheless, Gabriella could not keep herself from laughing.

"_You know that I could use somebody_!" Troy continued with a shout, his voice shrill, his tapping against the steering wheel beginning again but this time, with more energy and obnoxiousness.

"_Someone like you and all you know and how you speak, countless lovers undercover of the street_," Troy sang along, nodding his head. "You know the words, come on take it from here," He encouraged with a wide smile, only to have Gabriella shake her head like he was insane.

He swayed back and forth in his seat during the instrumentals, ignoring Gabriella's constant observations. She knew he wanted a reaction.

Troy redirected his stares from her to the road, opening his mouth for the next verse. "_Off in the night while you live it up_-"

"_I'm off to sleep_," Both sang in unison.

Troy laughed with triumph, Gabriella singing along as if to be waving the white flag of surrender.

"_Waging wars to shake the poet and the beat_," Gabriella sang solo, her face feeling the heat of the increasing color of red on her cheeks. He had stopped singing purposely, planning to catch her off guard from the start. "You suck," Gabriella smacked his knee lightly but Troy refused to wipe the smile of his face. He couldn't, even if his cheeks hurt to the point that they threatened to fall off. The smile was not going anywhere anytime soon.

He sighed, turning into the street where Tom Matthew's house was located. Keeping his voice low, he watched Gabriella as her cheeks slowly returned to their normal pigment. "_You know that I could use somebody_."

* * *

And the nerves were back, much stronger than they were before. With fingers itching with anticipation, she sucked in her breath as Troy turned the door handle, gesturing for her to enter before he did.

The environment was not what she had pictured or saw in movies. The lights were dimmed; different groups of teenagers that she had recognized from quick glimpses in the hallways at school were dispersed around what looked to be a living room, dining room and kitchen. Faint music played in the background, but it was not loud and booming, like she had expected. Troy caught on to her observing stares.

"Pretty simple, right?" He smirked.

"Simple enough."

She could live without the girls in the corner that were whispering behind their palms, their beady eyes trained directly on her and Troy, their faces full of what could only be described as disgust. Great.

A feather-light touch of a hand fell to her waist, and just like that, her attention was deviated back to the blue eyed boy she had arrived with. "Don't let it bother you, it's high school." Troy's head had bent low by her ear so that their conversation was unheard by everyone else in the room. It was just him and her.

Gabriella nodded, not sure if there was anything else for her to say.

"Do you want something to drink?" He asked and her eyes widened instantly which he noticed and could not help but chuckle. "Like_ water_, Killer," He nudged her shoulder, walking ahead into the crowds before turning tilting his head to the side as if to indicate that she should follow.

And who was she not to oblige?

Even through the many conversations that were taking place, both Troy and Gabriella were able to make out the familiar, loud in volume, laughter that was coming from the kitchen. Troy's eyebrows raised in curiosity as they approached their blonde friend who from the looks of it, had already started her own party.

"T! T and G! T and G are here!" She exclaimed when she saw them shortly after they recognized her. Decked out in glitter from head to toe, the _fashionista_ wore a pink sequined mini dress with heels to match, immediately making Gabriella feel under dressed. Glancing down quickly, she smoothed out her tanktop once more, a grey cardigan covering her, taking in the dark denim skinny jeans that she had chosen to wear.

"Oh, I think you look nice, by the way," Troy whispered into her ear before Sharpay practically tackled Gabriella in an attempt to hug her, whose mouth had opened slightly in shock. Was he telekinetic or had her face betrayed her, revealing her true thoughts? She looked over Sharpay's shoulder only to see that his eyes had darkened momentarily, looking as though he were thinking of something intently.

"Troy! Hey!" She greeted after releasing her death grip on Gabriella who looked a little frightened.

"Maybe you should slow down…" Troy said jokingly, even though his tone hinted seriousness as he could smell the alcohol in his friend's breath from where she stood. "Where's Chad?"

"OH! Chad," Sharpay's posture changed instantly, her face angry as she glared like a child who had not gotten their way. "We broke up."

She stated it as if it meant nothing.

Gabriella had not been going to the school for long and nor did she know the people that she called her new friends entirely too well, but she knew for a fact that what Chad and Sharpay had was different than just a high school relationship. So, her mouth dropped and Troy too even looked momentarily stunned.

"Is he around?" Troy asked with concern, his voice becoming slightly agitated.

"Somewhere, I'm sure," Gabriella tried to calm, causing his gaze to shift from the drunken mess that was Sharpay to her. "I'll stay here with her, making sure she stays out of trouble," She suggested.

"You sure?" He ran a hand through his hair, not sure if he actually wanted to leave the two girls alone.

"Positive, go find your friend."

* * *

The bounce of a ball against the black top of a driveway let Troy know that he was warmer. And sure enough, once he rounded the side of the Matthew's house, Chad was there, aiming flawlessly at the net, the ball finding its home in the basket with ease.

"Hey," Troy called when he was close enough, signaling with his hands for the ball. Chad passed with little enthusiasm, watching as Troy took a shot with perfection.

"Hey," Chad greeted back, his voice dangerous, laced with annoyance.

"How's it going?" Troy tried for a casual conversation, but his friend who was usually filled with energy rolled his eyes.

"Do you know already or are you serious?"

"Fine, I'll cut this shit." Troy threw bounced a sharp chest pass to Chad who was quick to react, catching the orange ball with precision. "What happened?"

"What do you think happened? What always happens," He groaned, taking his anger out on the basketball net as he shot, the ball slapping the backboard harder than he had intended.

"Brick," Troy mumbled with a smirk, referring to the shot Chad had just made.

"No one does it better," Chad smiled back, his tone growing lighter. And Troy knew it was going to be okay.

What was described as perfection was not always what it seemed to be. Chad and Sharpay were viewed as gold. Always holding hands in the hallways or seen with their arms linked as if neither wanted to let go. Most girls envied, wanting to be in the position that Sharpay Evans was. She wasn't just dating one of the most attractive boys in the senior class, she was _cherished _by him. Chad Danforth did not even mind when he was called whipped. If being whipped meant being with Sharpay and feeling the way he did, then hell, he was whipped.

But of course, like any other couple, the two teenagers had their flaws, their fights and their moments that they were ashamed of. They were more public of course, since Sharpay made her emotions known to all, not ever afraid of what someone thought of her. If she wanted to cry, she was going to cry. And of course, if she wanted to yell at someone, she would never hold back.

In the end, none of it mattered because Troy knew what both Chad and Sharpay knew as well. They always returned to each other, where they belonged.

"How about a quick game of knockout before heading back in?" Troy asked, his face with the same look of challenge that always settled there whenever a competitive game between the both him and Chad took place.

"You're on."

With that being said, the quick game started, both boys fully focused on scoring and mentally crossing their fingers that the other one would miss their shot. Of course, Chad had been the first one to miss the basket.

"As always," Troy bowed dramatically, ignoring the look on Chad's face that read 'I want to punch you'.

"Did Gabriella come with you?" Chad asked as they began their trip back inside, rounding the side of the house towards the backyard, where the backdoor they had exited was.

"Yeah."

"What's going on there?" Chad asked casually, pretending he did not really care when he truly was interested.

"What do you mean?" Troy played dumb.

"Don't give me that shit, you've been acting like an idiot this past week," Chad laughed. "It's ok if you like her, this isn't the first grade, and she's not going to give you cooties."

"No, it's not that," Troy shook his head, trying to form the right words. "I'm just kind of interested in someone else," He said honestly.

Chad stopped walking, his face contorted with confusion. "Who and why didn't I know about this?"

Troy sighed. "Because it's really not that big of a deal and we're not girls, so quit acting like one."

"You still didn't answer the question. Who is it?"

Troy looked at the ground, pretending that the grass was far more intriguing than their conversation. "Does it matter?"

"Is it a guy…?" Chad asked slowly and seriously. "You've been my best friend since we were five, I have always accepted you for who you are-"

"Shit Chad, no, it's not a guy." Troy grew more frustrated. "It's a girl."

"Then who? Do I know her? Rate her on the scale of one to ten-"

"I don't really know…"

"It's just us, you can say whatever dirty shit you are fantasizing about," Chad exclaimed.

"No, that's not what I meant," Troy said, his head turning to look left and right before turning back to his friend, who he was about to confide in. "I really don't know."

Now he was really confused. "What are you talking about? How don't you know?"

"You see, there's this girl and I read her writing, she blogs and I just-"

"Wait hold on a second," Chad Danforth tried to wrap his mind around the idea. "Blogs? As in the internet…"

"Yeah," Troy could feel his friend's judging stare.

"Troy, she's probably a guy!" Chad practically shouted. "You're going to get yourself in too deep and then end up on the show 'How to Catch a Predator'."

Troy knew he would not understand. No one would. He just hoped that just this once, Chad would approve. "I know her."

Chad shook his head urgently, amusement still dancing in his brown eyes. "No you don't-"

"No, I do. I have read how she writes, what she writes about, the way she is and how she feels," Troy stopped abruptly when he realized how stupid he must have sounded. Really, he felt connected to the blogger whose writing he had been reading for a little over a year now. He had not told anyone, but reading what the unknown girl had written helped him live his life easier. The words of encouragement melted away his depressed state whenever he was in one.

"Whatever, man," Chad said, his voice unsure with caution, wanting to drop the conversation. "She _or_ he, probably lives on the other side of the world."

"No, see that's the thing. She lives _here_," Troy gestured around them, meaning that the mystery girl lived in Albuquerque, just as they did.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Just the way she describes things," Troy assured. He did not care if Chad didn't believe in her like he did. No matter what he did and who he met, Troy knew that he would not forget about the girl who had captured him over the internet. She had described her favorite place, the basketball court that was only a few blocks away from where he lived. It was his favorite place as well.

The court sat beside a river, picnic benches hidden beneath the shades of the trees. Her words were almost as if she had pulled them directly from his mouth. And he knew that he knew that court by heart, every inch of it, every inch that had been described in one of her blog entries. Besides that, her location stated that she lived in New Mexico and that she also went to high school there. But that was the obvious.

Chad sighed, defeated, not wanting to start a fight with his friend. "Ok, just remember this moment. Remember that I warned you that meeting people over the internet is shady, especially when you have a girl right before your eyes," Chad referred back to Gabriella and Troy nodded, understanding.

"I know, but it's just not the same, Chad." Troy shrugged. "You can't help who you like, right?"

Immediately, thoughts of the blonde girl who had angrily shoved his shoulders, telling her to just leave her alone for good, flooded his mind. Always dramatic, but always having good intentions, Sharpay was Sharpay. He would not change her for the world. And he loved her.

Chad smiled, thinking of the girl who was waiting for him inside. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

* * *

"Are you alright?" Troy steadied the girl in front of him, his hands clasping her waist sturdily. His eyes were as wide as plates as he looked at the two messes in front of him.

"Of course she's alright! She was left under my care," Sharpay slurred, adding a wink.

"Can we talk?" Chad asked from where he stood behind Troy, almost as if he were using him for protection until he could see if Sharpay had calmed down in the least bit. Sharpay glared but nodded, anyway, allowing Chad to drag her off into one of the corners of the living room, where they fought in semi-private.

This left Troy and Gabriella alone, Gabriella swaying unknowingly, gripping Troy's arm as she felt herself tip over. "That's strong stuff isn't it?" She asked herself out loud, referring to the drink that she had let Sharpay mix for her after a long while of hearing her plead to make her a drink.

"Gabriella?" Troy tilted his head, trying to get his eyes to lock on his. "I knew I should not have left you here with her," He tried to keep himself from laughing, even though he knew that he would not let her live this down the next time he saw her sober.

"I'm really fine, Troy," She said, trying to make her voice sound as serious as possible, narrowing her eyes to match her tone. Troy shook his head as he continued to bite back a laugh.

"So if I let you go, you'd be completely fine on your own?"

She nodded but shook her head just as quickly when his grip began to loosen. "No, don't let go, what are you doing?!" Gabriella asked in a high whisper.

"This is going to be a long night," Troy mumbled, leaning her back against the counter, keeping her still there as she gazed up at him. He felt light tugging only to realize that she was toying with the hem of his shirt. "Gab what are you…"

"I'm tired," She said suddenly, "and I'm not feeling too good."

Troy inhaled, trying to keep him calm and on good grounds with Sharpay. He had left Gabriella alone for about a half of an hour and he had come back to this? Really, he had not seen the night turning out this way, him babysitting a slightly buzzed Gabriella while his two best friends fought for their relationship.

"It's ok," He soothed, patting her back almost timidly as she rested her head on the counter, sitting on one of the stools that was by an island in the kitchen. "Rookie's mistake," Troy laughed lightly.

"Why did you bring me here again?"

He did not have an answer to her question, so he let the low music cover the silence, his hand gently squeezing her shoulder every few seconds to keep her awake. "Want me to take you home?" Troy asked his voice with uncertainty for he really did not want to take her home, feeling as though they had only gotten there.

With this, she lifted her head, an unsure look taking over her face. "You don't like me, do you?" She asked, her tone in the middle of being light and serious.

"Why wouldn't I like you?" He retorted quickly. Of course, that was not what she had meant. She did not wonder if he liked her as a friend or someone who he could just talk to. And Gabriella knew that Troy knew exactly what she meant by the question.

She looked around her, taking in her surroundings for the second time that night. Really, she did not belong here, partying was just not her thing, if you would even consider what this was an actual_ party_. Gabriella exhaled heavily, not wanting to ruin Troy's time. "No, I don't want to go home, yet," She answered him finally.

"I really wouldn't mind-"

"I'm staying." Her decision was final.

* * *

Troy was always looking for something. Even if he did not mean to be, his eyes wandered and so did his mind, taking him to places. So as he took a break from what seemed like hundreds of free throws, his mind trailed away just like the clouds passing by in the light grey sky.

The Saturday afternoon was colder, leaving Troy feeling unsettled. The court that lay riverside was just as it always had been but he could not help but feeling that something had changed. He shook off the feeling, dribbling the basketball that he had brought along with him a few times just to hear the sound of collision it made with the court underneath his feet.

It was times like these that he could not stand the feeling of being alone. Like most weekends, Troy's father was not home, rather out on business. And both he and his mother knew what that meant.

There were many things in life that Troy understood. It was rare that he found something that he didn't. He understood that someone could lose feelings for another who they once loved. To him, that had a simple explanation; life. That was how life worked out sometimes, so be it, Troy had always thought.

But what he didn't understand was what he could have done. He pleaded within himself, needing the answers to his many questions. Why wasn't he enough for his father to stick around?

Why was he not enough?

"What are you doing here?" A breathless voice jarred him from his thoughts, nearly causing him to jump out of his skin.

His face matched her look of surprise, his mouth hanging open slightly in what he perceived as a look of stupidity. "Wha- You? What are you doing here?" Troy felt completely out of the loop as his eyes remained on the vision before him, the same girl that he had looked after the night before, making sure that nothing or no one harmed her and that she got home safely.

"I jog through here almost every weekend," Gabriella said, her voice coming off a bit perturbed. "Never once have I seen you here."

"Likewise."

With her hands on her hips in defiance, she asked the question that she had been planning to ask him the upcoming Monday. "I didn't ruin your time last night, right?"

"No, don't worry about it," came his response, a little too quickly for Gabriella's liking. "The party was beat anyway." He shrugged.

"Never again for me. I'm pretty sure that was my first and last East High gathering that I'll be attending," Gabriella said firmly, wondering how badly she had embarrassed herself the night before.

"I could have made it more fun for you…" Troy's voice trailed off, scenarios of different sexual encounters playing in his mind, causing him to shake his head urgently. That had not been what he meant. Was she thinking the same?

"Well…" Her voice drew out, feeling an awkward silence fall over the court. "I guess I should be going," She gestured back towards the trail that she had jogged from, her own iPod in her hand. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, tomorrow…"

"Troy?"

"Yeah?" And she received the same smoldering look that made her weak at the knees.

"I didn't get the chance to thank you for last night, you know, making sure I was alright."

Troy laughed lightly. "Did you honestly think I would let someone take advantage of you?"

"Who would even bother taking advantage of me?" She wondered why someone would even bother. Gabriella was shy, her whole life known as the bookworm, the genius who was always kind when given the chance to prove herself. If she wasn't approached at first, she did not mind embracing her introverted side. It was part of what made her, her.

In all honesty, she could never imagine anyone finding her attractive or interesting.

"It would have happened," Troy affirmed.

"I highly doubt that anything would-"

"I liked watching over you," He said suddenly, adding in a casual shrug. "You gave me a purpose for being there."

**September 26th, 2009**

**Every detail, every line of every contour never goes unnoticed by me. It's funny how the littlest changes have the power to break your heart. For instance, remember the place that you raised me. Remember, I know you have the same image in your mind as I do. The winding path around the park, the same park I had taken my first steps. The same park where I had jumped off the swing set in competition with friends on who could reach the highest point, only to come home with scraped knees for you to nurse. No matter what was going on there, one thing always remained the same. A small boat, sides worn from water sloshing against it, the paint fading, could always be found located by the dock that people would fish off of. The boat was almost like the park's trademark. And today, just like that, it was gone. Without it, it's not the same. Without you, it's not the same.**

**-B  
**


	5. Skinny Love

**"I told you to be patient and I told you to be fine. I told you to be balanced and I told you to be kind. Now all your love is wasted, and who the hell was I? Now I'm breaking at the britches and at the end of all your lines. Who will love you? Who will fight? Who will fall far behind?"**

**Skinny Love, Bon Iver**

In Gabriella's opinion, basketball players would make excellent actors. Either that, or they were really not phased at all. There had been hype since she had arrived at the school weeks prior about the big basketball playoffs and of course, the expected championship that year. She knew that the team had been practicing nonstop; afternoon practices during free period and practices after school until 5:30 PM. Basically, it was rare when any basketball player had free time. How they managed to keep their grade average above a C was beyond her. While the rest of the student body had the jitters, the pre-game excitement that Wednesday in school, the basketball players all took it as just another day instead of the opening of playoffs.

All but one.

With his head trained to the floor beneath his feet, Troy navigated through the halls avoiding peoples' stares and whispers. And the halls were a river of red and white, Wildcat colors, only reminding him of the night that was to come.

And just barely, Gabriella felt him. He was walking swiftly, his gray hood sweatshirt pulled over his head, his earpieces of his iPod visible as they dangled until they reached the front pocket of his jacket, where his sacred device was stuffed. His shoulder brushed against hers, roughly and she really could not tell if it had been intentional or not. The passing had its effect though, causing Gabriella to turn after he was a good distance away, only to see the back of a retreating Troy. So maybe it wasn't intentional, but then again she had not seen him turn back to look at her first.

"Did you two get in a fight or something?" Sharpay snapped her out of her stupor, the immediate question cutting through all of the boggled thoughts in Gabriella's mind.

Her eyebrow rose questionably, wondering if other people thought the same as Sharpay. There were whispers; she would be an idiot to not hear them. There were rumors; she would have to be crazy to pretend they did not exist. All in all, Gabriella tended not to let the small things get to her. There was nothing a small shrug could not brush off of her shoulders. "No…why would you even think-"

"Because you have both been giving each other death glares all day," She sighed dramatically, leaning against the locker that was next to Gabriella's.

There were a few twists of her combination lock as she avoided Sharpay's curious gaze that was begging for the answers. "Nothing happened."

Sharpay would not have that as an answer, it was unacceptable. She knew that she did not have 20/20 vision, but she was far from blind. "So it's just sexual tension then," She said with a wave of her hand, dismissing it as if it was nothing.

"What?! No!"

Gabriella's head darted from left to right, checking to make sure that no one had heard Sharpay's suggestion.

"He practically undresses you with his eyes." And with that, Gabriella felt the heat rise up on her neck and on to her cheeks. "I can just tell," Sharpay crossed her arms over her chest.

"He does not see me like that," Gabriella tried not to slam her locker closed after putting away the books that were not needed for her next class. This was a task that never before had she considered difficult.

Sharpay's eyes widened like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car. "Are you kidding? Just look at him the next time he's with us and you will see. He likes you, plain and simple."

"No."

"No? Why no? I know him, trust me," Sharpay assured but to Gabriella it sounded like nothing more than chastising.

"I can read people really well," Gabriella supplied. She liked looking at people as if they were elaborate novels with plots, problems, rising action, the climax and of course the conclusion. People were always their own kind of mystery, much like Gabriella found reading most of the time. When she was reading a good book, she would not want to put the book down. When she would meet an interesting person, she only wished in getting to know them better. And so far, from what she had seen in Troy, she knew that he was closed off. If there was any way that he felt the same about her as she did about him, it would be apparent; a clear cut sign.

"When I'm with him and we are talking or we are alone, he just always seems like he is looking for something more or something else," Gabriella voiced her thoughts out loud. There were many times Sharpay had allowed the new girl to surprise her and this time would be one of them.

People would look at Troy Bolton and see nothing more than a lost cause, not wanting much to do with him. He didn't allow people to know him really well but from what people did know of him- he was complicated. And what Sharpay admired about Gabriella was that she was persistent and even gotten this close to capturing Troy's undivided attention. It was rare and even Sharpay, the one who was said to crave everyone's attention, was aware of this.

"There's something there between you two, you can't even argue that there is not. When I look at the both of you, I see it and when I'm around the both of you, I feel it. Now don't go telling me that I am crazy," the blonde said slowly and surely, expressing some thoughts that she had somehow managed to keep to herself.

"You're not crazy."

And it was as simple as that- Gabriella felt it too. She knew something was there but she just could not put a finger on what it was exactly. And she really could not tell if Troy ever thought about her as much as he ran through her mind or if he even cared. Sometimes she had felt like she was talking to a wall. But she was determined to break down the barrier and for that, Troy was determined to not let her be someone who gets away, someone who would simply give up on him.

"So you do like him?" Sharpay asked but made it sound more as if she were stating the obvious.

"I like…" Gabriella chose her words carefully. Sure, Sharpay was the closest thing she had to a best friend since she had moved and she was basically the only person she could confide in. Nonetheless, Sharpay was still best friends with Troy and also dating his best friend. It was a sticky position to be in. "…being around him?" She finished slowly, finding herself satisfied with her words.

"And I'm sure he feels the same."

"Doubt it."

* * *

"I know what you're thinking!"

_What am I thinking then_, Troy's mind questioned the teacher that he could only describe as insane.

"It is much too soon to be discussing the final project," Mrs. Darbus did her best to imitate a teenager's voice. To no one's surprise, she had failed miserable.

_That's exactly what I was thinking_, Troy continued to internally mock her for his own amusement.

"But surprise! I am discussing it," She continued, sounding almost too excited about what would be the final project of the class, worth more than half of the classes' percentage points. Troy gasped exagerating, his eyes widening when he had actually done it outloud instead of in his head. He coughed nervously as the teacher's eyes narrowed in his general direction. The action was forgotten with a simple shake of the head, as if she was disappointed. But the same wacky smile reappeared on her face almost instantly. Mrs. Darbus could not help but be excited while discussing the final project.

In other words, the project was crucial. Having never been in the class, a few seniors slumped down in their seats, fear evident on their faces. "This is going to be exciting!" The dramatic arts teacher exclaimed when all of her students faces indicated that they thought it would be the exact opposite.

Troy glanced to his right, finding Gabriella with her head propped upright by her hand, her eyes filled with sudden interest, her attention fully captured.

"Now, the final project is basically whatever you make it to be. It can be _anything_ and when I say _anything_, I mean absolutely _anything_," Mrs. Darbus exaggerated the word for the full effect, her eyes widening the slightest bit more every time she said it. "You could dance, sing, act out a skit, read a poem or story, anything at all. It could be as extravagant as you'd like it to be. If you chose to read only one sentence like 'the sky is falling', you could still receive an A," the teacher explained as thoroughly as she could. "But you better read that one line with such conviction and credibility that we're all diving on the floor, covering our heads for dear life," She finished, a smile on her face proving that she truly did enjoy every aspect of her work earning a few muffled laughs from a few students.

"Are there any questions?" She asked a different class than the one that was sitting tiredly in their seats before she explained the project. Now, almost each student had ideas flowing through their heads, already putting the pieces together.

Jason slowly let his hand raise, timidly and shaking as he did, waiting for Mrs. Darbus to nod in his direction, willing him to speak. "So you really mean anything?"

He spoke for almost all of them who needed clarification. This project was just too simple, there had to be some kind of catch. Ashton Kutcher would be rolling out with his camera crew any minute now. And second. But Mrs. Darbus still stood there, the same smile plastered on her face.

"Yes, meaning you and your football friends might choose to discuss a game you have won, or the playoff games coming up, hopefully a championship," She added a wink.

"Basketball," Chad coughed from where he sat, earning a smirk from his girlfriend. And it had been that easy for them to be on good terms again.

But this was the part that Troy couldn't stand; the expectations. When people expected so much, they were only setting themselves up to be let down. This is how he directed himself not to live. He never wanted to be someone to let anyone down, or even himself. So that meant no pressure, no expectations.

"You catch my drift, though," the teacher said, moving her hands in a motion as if to be caught up with the 'hip lingo' or so she had called it. "This will be presented the week of your finals but you can start it as soon as you would like. You may choose to wait until the last minute; it is all up to you. Finals are the last week of May."

She allowed the information to sink in, even a few students jotting down notes on the assignment. Gabriella was still transfixed, her mind working a million words a minute, there were so many possibilities. There was too much one person could possibly choose to do as their project. This was going to be a lot more difficult for her than it would for anybody else.

"Good luck," She said finally, glancing up at the clock to note that there was less than three minutes left of class. "And to you all," Mrs. Darbus made eye contact with each teenage boy who was displaying their jersey with pride, "best of luck tonight."

Let the pressure begin.

* * *

He could hear his pulse in his head. No, this was not natural. There was no way he would make it out of this game alive. Troy tried breathing but his body was not working with him. This was it, he kept telling himself. What would his father say? What would his team say? The first playoff game and he was going to lose it to the nerves that were building up?

There was less than 30 seconds left and Troy felt paralyzed with the ball in his hand, the game was his. Behind three points, Troy was frozen. He didn't know whether to go left or right. What had happened?

The game was fine, he kept up with the quick pace, the pressure from his father and teammates and they had dominated the first half. Now, he did not know what to do, where to move, the court was spinning in slow motion as his head throbbed heavily. In this distance, he could hear his father shouting his name, along with the whole red and white side of the gymnasium.

If the Wildcats won this game, they would have to play one more game to advance to the championship. Then why was the first game killing him?

Troy was quick to turn his head in an attempt to move his sweaty hair that fell in front of his eyes. He squinted, never look at the scoreboard, he reminded himself. That would initially be his downfall. The gymnasium was stocked to the brim, yelling, screaming and shouts of encouragement could barely be heard; the nose was drowned out by static. The fans and classmates in the bleachers were merely blurs.

All these thoughts came rushing in at once, seeming like it was enough to knock the wind out of him. And right then, Troy wondered what it was like to have your life flash before your eyes, as if on the last strands of death. He figured it must be similar to where he was now.

His muscles burned much like an inferno, his mind screaming at him to give up. But he was Troy Bolton. He refused to back down or quit.

Exhaling for some kind of balance, Troy dribbled once, reality slowly falling back into place. Motion began to regain its natural color, the blurred figures finally distinguishable as people. Finally, when some of the air had been cleared from his head, Troy passed the ball to Chad, hearing as the ball made sharp contact with his hands, moving towards the final destination; the net.

He took another deep breath, moving down court, looking anxiously over his shoulder to surprisingly find himself wide open. Once again, it was only him. This was now or never.

His vision seemed as if it had become high definition in the matter of minutes, his father on the sidelines, his mouth closed tightly. A few rows back, he could see who was in the stands. Sharpay was probably the only person in the whole gymnasium who was shielding her eyes. She simply could not look and was just waiting for the final buzzer. The suspense was too much to handle.

Next to her was his clarity. For a brief moment their eyes connected, and the whole school stood still, frozen. With agile hands, Troy managed to keep a hold of the ball that had been passed to him. He could not look away from her though.

Gabriella did all she could do, hold his gaze, feeling the pressure, the pain, everything that he was undergoing right then and there. As if her soul was as porous as a sponge, she took it in, her eyes closing momentary, signaling for him to let go. It was all written in his eyes. He blinked and she nodded, a nod of reassurance, watching as he turned a put a shot up.

There was no comprehension or understanding for Gabriella was not aware of what was happening. Just like that, the crowd burst into applause, everyone who was still sitting was now on their feet, palms pounding together, fists pumping. She couldn't see him anymore, his body blocked completely from her view as he was rushed by the rest of the team.

She had never seen people so excited, smiles so happy and wide. It was surreal. Sharpay was shrieking like a maniac, which only added to the craziness that surrounded them. An afro emerged from the standing dog pile of basketball players, opening his arms for Sharpay to launch herself into.

There was a light tugging at the corner of Gabriella's lips and for the first time in what she felt like was a whole day, a smile began to form on her face. Barely able to resist herself, she bit back laughter, her arms folded across her chest as she stood, watching the scene before her. She could not remember a time that she had seen anything like it, feeling a sharp pang in her stomach and a prick at the back of her eyes.

Keeping her head ducked down, she slipped away from the celebration unnoticed, finding the hall just outside of the gymnasium completely empty due to the game that was just won. Steadying her breathing, Gabriella rested her head against the cold wall. This was something that she could not control. Just when she began to feel happy, truly happy, the guilt sunk in and it became too much for her to take. She didn't understand why she should be happy when he wasn't there with her, he was gone and he wasn't coming back.

Physically, she felt as though she could be sick. Her eyes were stinging with the familiar feeling of tears that she knew would soon follow. Gabriella sighed, closing her brown eyes tightly before turning her back to the wall, leaning against it for some kind of support.

She smoothed out her shirt, which had been red for the occasion. Being so wrapped up in her own thoughts, she had not even heard the swinging that indicated the gym door opening.

"Gabriella?" Troy was already at her side, his hands clasped on her shoulders, trying to instigate a reaction. "I watched you leave, and I saw how you looked and I just had too…" his voice trailed off, his blue eyes searching her downcast eyes.

"I'm fine, just claustrophobic," She lied with ease. "No big deal."

His hands dropped almost instantly. "Oh. I was just checking, I didn't know because you know, I wanted to just make sure-"

"I'm fine, thanks," Gabriella cut off his rambling, taking in his confused expression for the first time since he had chased her down. "Are you okay?"

His head shook quickly. "Yes." And his head shook again, "I mean no. Wait, I mean yes, I am fine." Just confused as he had ever been. He still was not sure what had happened in the gymnasium. He wondered if she had even noticed that he had looked to her for the answers and sure enough, she had given them to him.

"You should get back inside then," She suggested, noting that he was missing most of the student body chant his name and his team's. "You are being praised."

"I'm only going back in there if you come with me." He watched as her eyes shined a different shade of brown for a moment. "I mean, I just don't want to leave you alone." Troy wished that sometimes there was a button for mentally slapping yourself.

Her breath caught at his choice of words. Maybe Sharpay was right, just maybe.

"Come on," He urged, his arm slipping around her waist, pulling her along with him. Even when she had began walking the same pace as him, he let his arm remain there, drawing her closer to him.

Maybe.

**September 30th, 2009**

**You can always notice when there is a big shift or a huge change. I do, I cannot pull myself away from them, as much as I want to some times. It's like receiving a huge project that will be due at the end of one of your classes that is required for graduating. Though it is stressful and causes you to worry, you feel a rush of excitement. I had been racking my mind all day for something to write about but really, there's not much going on in my head today. My thoughts are jumbled. I wish for once, someone would come to me with all the answers. I miss my dad. I miss how things were. Go Wildcats?**

**-B**


	6. Save You

**I forgot how much I enjoyed writing this story and I apologize for the large gaps in between updates. I figured I'd start off with a recap.**

**You be the Anchor (Thus far)**

**The story begins with Troy and the rest of the gang heading into the second semester of senior year after winter break. Sharpay meets Gabriella and she immediately becomes a new addition to their group of friends. Troy and Gabriella slowly begin to discover each other, sharing something between them that no one can quite figure out. However, Troy has feelings for an online blogger who he is convinced lives among him, attending the same high school as him and going to the same places as he does. He has never pursued finding her though and is temporarily distracted by these new feelings he has towards Gabriella, the basketball playoffs and upcoming final senior projects as mentioned in the last chapter.**

**The short excerpts at the end of every chapter do hold significance and so do the dates, since they are written prior to the story. **

**That's all I am going to say, I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

* * *

**"So help me decide, help me to make up-make up my mind. Wouldn't that save you?" **

**Save You, Matthew Perryman Jones**

He was like a scratched disk.

From the first look, he appeared to be completely fine and functional. Most would assume that the disk was fully stocked with a playlist of songs, lyrics that could define the soul of Troy- the soul that he kept so hidden from the rest of the world. But sometimes if a disk were to be flipped over to analyze the other side, taking a closer look, there would be more scratches and impairments than one could even count. One side could seem perfect to those who viewed the disk but it took someone determined to find out that there really were problems in existence.

Even though the disk looked half good and and half decent, the fact that it was broken could not be denied. Just flip it over and take in the scars.

It did not take a rocket scientist or a psychiatrist, for that matter, to see that Troy Bolton was in fact broken. Gabriella had known from the beginnning that Troy was not like other happy-go-lucky teenagers. She knew he was not the kind of teenager whose only worries consisted of which party he should attend this weekend, who is going to supply the alcohol and what will his excuse be for their parents. Troy was different; he relied solely on his music and isolating himself to get through his days. Though she was positive that Troy's mind did not work in this way, she still did not know the way in which it did. But she wanted to, badly. With everything in her, Gabriella found the need to understand what it was that worried and broke him down.

She sighed, her gaze focused mainly on the fogged window belonging to the passanger seat. The pink leather interior of the car and altogether overload of pink, were no longer blinding to her eyesight. Gabriella had originally felt as though she were five again when she had first stepped inside of Sharpay's pink convertible that closely resembled the Barbie jeep that she would drive up and down her driveway. Their final destination was a local pizzeria, one that Gabriella had been to many times, for a victory dinner in celebration.

Though she was less than five feet away from her blonde friend, Gabriella felt a million miles away, her mind working quicker with each passing second, thought after thought pouring into her mind.

Comfort. It had always been a word that was lingering in the back of her mind. Immediately thoughts of her childhood with father rushing to her side to nurse her scraped knees flooded her mind. If Webster's dictionary could only define words in one picture, that would be the picture that they would have used. She was almost sure of it. She was also sure that comfort was exactly what Troy needed.

He needed someone to cut through the bullshit, the mask that he put up. Troy needed someone to tell him that they knew, no matter how much he denied it, that something was not right. Just as much as anyone else does, he needed someone and the feeling of being needed. And she was willing to be that someone. But she was nowhere near ready to admit that to anyone. It was simple; she did not understand the magnetic attraction that she felt whenever in the presence of Troy. She was drawn to him, she had been from the start. But she had not once ever gotten a sign that remotely indicated that Troy might have felt the same way about her.

Maybe she really did not like him in that way. Some days when she had nothing else to do at home and she saw a mess, she would clean it up. Once in the cleaning mood, she would not stop until the whole house was completely spotless and immaculate. So she figured that maybe this was the same thing. Gabriella saw a mess and now she had to clean it up, whether Troy liked it or not.

He called it prying, but she called it caring.

From past experiences, she had learned that talking about a problem does help. She had been in his position. Two years ago, she had been the most defiant teenager that she had ever known. Gabriella would purposely act out, just for the pleasure that she had done wrong and gotten away with it. Eventually, the results of her acting out had led to a large downward slope in her grades and that simply was not her. It wasn't until she was finally forced to sit down and discuss her problems that they slowly began to be resolved. Now that it was two years later, she had found other outlets other than rebelling. With straight A's in school and fresh new start at a different school, Gabriella knew that there was no denying that she had a bright future. And she knew that Troy did as well, however he needed someone to take his hand to the fogged glass to reveal what lie on the other side.

After they had pulled into the fairly packed parking lot, Gabriella drew in a long and deep breath before pressing her hand against the door, allowing her entrance into the crowded pizzeria. She could make out a few familiar faces scattered throughout the restaurant in booths but Troy was the first who had returned the eye contact, his body stiffening as the two reenacted the moment that they had shared earlier that night on the basketball court.

Troy believed he was in love. From the first words he read, he was entranced by someone he had never even met. He wanted to pursue this girl whose writing he lived by, but he could not help himself from being temporarily distracted by the sight in front of him. So what, he figured. Would it really be so wrong to allow himself to have a little bit of fun in the time being? There was something there. Pushing up from the booth he was sitting in with Chad, he made a beeline towards her, never once blinking to break the contact.

Sharpay, who had arrived with Gabriella, immediately felt like an intruder. It was difficult not to feel like this whenever Troy and Gabriella surrounded her or anyone else, for that matter. She side stepped around Gabriella, practically prancing to the awaiting booth, sliding in beside Chad easily, popping a few french fries into her mouth as she watched the scene unfolding in front of her as if it were a film. She nudged Chad excitedly but he was too busy greedily stuffing his face to care.

"Hey," Troy greeted with his voice low once he was within a proper distance. "How are you feeling?" He asked, referring to her small step back outside of the gymnasium after the playoff game.

Gabriella took in another sharp intake of breath, the look of concern on his face almost overwhelming to her. "Better," she answered honestly.

He nodded, his hand traveling down the length of her arm until he reached her own hand, their fingers tangling together almost instantly. Gabriella momentarily looked stunned, her eyes darting to the point of impact where she felt the sparks. His fingers flexed so that his hand could better accommodate hers though it was far from necessary. In a cliche world, they were a perfect fit. He coughed, feeling that his throat had become tighter making it a need so that his voice could be understood. "You seem better," He noted, taking in her lighter mood.

With a nod, she tugged on their joined hands, gesturing towards the awaiting booth where the two found their place opposite to Chad and Sharpay. The booth was small, causing Troy and Gabriella to fit just comfortably, legs brushing against each other. He shifted awkwardly, lifting his arm to rest on the back of the booth, initially causing warning signals to trigger off in Gabriella's mind. He was entirely too close, the temperature of the room rising significantly. And the way that he avoided her eyes let her know that he must have felt it, too.

He was watching her. For the first time that night, he was noticing more to her than just the brown eyes that had captivated him. Her dark hair hung loosely in curls, cascading down her back in ways that she hated and found hard to manage. But Troy wanted nothing more than to run his fingers through it. The red v-neck t-shirt that she was wearing showed not too little but not too much, perfect for Troy's liking. She could feel his eyes as if they were hands, ghosting over every contour of her face, making her shift awkwardly in her seat. Saved by the waitress arriving with sodas that Sharpay had ordered for both herself and Gabriella, Troy's eyes finally deviated from the girl beside him, causing Gabriella to hold in a sigh of relief.

She knew that something was different about the night, the atmosphere and Troy's entire attitude towards her. She knew that the moment they had shared in the gymnasium may have potentially changed their relationship permanently. But she did not know whether or not that was a good or bad thing. A simple brush of his hand against the side of her denim jean covered leg caused her to grow short of breath as she stood from her seat, causing the eyes of Chad and Sharpay to rise in question. But Troy looked on knowingly, as if he had interpreted her actions all along.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom," She informed weakly, since she had always been horrible when it came to lying. Especially when she was put on the spot, never would she be able to come up with something reasonable that the other curious teenagers would believe. Sharpay rose from her seat as an offer to join her but Gabriella shook her head desperately. "It's fine," she attempted to reassure her friend. In reality, she needed air, her lungs feeling as if they were collapsing, contracting to the point where they were nothing but shriveled plastic bags.

The temperature had rose far too much in the room for Gabriella's taste. Just as she had done earlier, she had made an efficient escape but this time for much different reasons. Nerves were getting the best of her and this was being caused entirely by none other than Troy Bolton. And no doubt he understood the effects he was having on her with that smug smile that had settled on his face moments prior. Just the simple brush of fingertips ghosting over the skin on her arm and on her leg had caused her face to heat up like an inferno, her eyes resisting from bugging out of her head. Maybe had to be messing with her, bored with his night and needing some kind of outlet. She would be damned if she was being used simply for his entertainment.

However Gabriella feared more that Troy's intentions were true and her reasoning for that was unsure, therefore only making her more afraid since she could not understand.

She allowed his actions to replay in her mind as if she were a referee trying to decipher if his moves were true or not, fair or foul play. But of course, that voice had to interrupt her thoughts as it always did. But this time, it was real and he was there.

"Are you feeling ok?" He asked for what seemed like the umpteenth time that night as if he was genuinely concerned. She would no longer be fooled.

"I'm great," she snapped suddenly, causing Troy to take a step back unknowingly. "I just needed some air."

With narrowed eyes, he cautiously advanced his steps in her direction, not for one second believing her words. Usually he never cared when he could not understand someone's actions or why they chose to use certain words as they spoke. It was just a part of life he had always accepted; people were always going to react in the way he expected. He was just all too prepared for it. But now he was at bat, the pitcher delivering a wild curve ball and he was determined to study the unexpected. And to him, Gabriella was everything unexpected wrapped up into one person. There was no chance that he would not swing and take a chance, he was going all in.

"Well since I've been hanging out with you, I find myself analyzing people a bit more," Troy stated slowly, letting his eyes make that magnetizing connection that seemed to just be there between her own eyes.

All that Gabriella could see in the depths of his ocean blue eyes was truth that he was speaking. It was one reaction that she had invoked in him since she was always telling him new things about himself that he had never once noticed, simply from watching his body language. More and more each day, Troy found himself understanding the people he had surrounded himself with his entire life and it was because of the girl in front of him.

Swallowing a lump that had formed in her throat, Gabriella suddenly found herself incredibly thirsty. For what- she did not know. And now she was finding her previous answer to prove true; she definitely needed air. Taking a step away from the boy who she had made her new case, her new person to figure out, she found her back coming into contact with the wall that was just outside of the restrooms. She bit her lip, her teeth sinking in only lightly as she cursed mentally. She was trapped.

Now Troy understood what it was like to have the tables turned in a good way because there was not a strand in his body that was not enjoying watching Gabriella squirm as if she was under interrogation. "Ever since I've been analyzing people, I noticed a few things about you," Troy continued, nodding in her direction to confirm the words that he had just spoken.

"Oh yeah?" She finally dared herself to challenge him, disliking how this only caused him to up the wager as his hand came to rest on the wall beside her shoulder.

His head lowered, danger signals going off insanely in Gabriella's mind, warning her that he was too close once again. But she knew that she would never fight him off, even if she could. And now she felt his lips on the shell of her ear- the same lips that she had watched part in bewilderment whenever she would ask him something that threw him off or whenever he had not known what to say.

"Yeah," his whisper was raspy against her ear, causing her to shiver involuntarily. "And you know what I noticed?" He asked, his voice so low that she knew it was meant so that only the two of them who could hear the exchange of words, isolated completely from the world that surrounded them.

Pulling his head away from the spot on her neck, Troy steadied himself with both hands by Gabriella's shoulder, almost as if to cage her in, now completely trapped. Feeling the lack of warmth of his breath on her ear, Gabriella's eyes rose from where they were fixated on the floor beneath her feet, only to regret it immediately because his eyes were almost penetrating her soul. She could not speak so instead, she nodded her head slightly to answer his question.

Just when she had thought she was on to something, finally figuring out the mystery that was Troy, he had to go and do something like this. She knew he was on to her games. He was only doing this to throw her off of her task at hand, making himself even more unpredictable. At least that was what she chose to tell herself in her head.

When she felt his finger beneath her chin, forcing her to look only at him, Gabriella felt as if she had backtracked to square one on the game board, starting all over again in the game of trying to understand Troy Bolton.

"You bite your lip when you're nervous," He said with a smirk, catching her red-handed at the scene of the crime, watching as she stopped her teeth from digging into her bottom lip. Slowly and deliberately, his finger trailed from her chin to her lip, his thumb barely grazing over the flesh with shallow indentations from where her teeth had been. "And when you deny something that is true, you blush, so don't even bother," Troy said with a low chuckle, feeling the heat beneath his fingertips as they touched lightly against her cheeks.

Her eyes found the same place on the floor, telling her mind to look at anything but his eyes that seemed to search for hers. There was a long moment of silence that seemed never-ending.

"And finally," his voice broke the silence, his mouth at the same place by her ear. And she could have sworn that she had felt the unmistakable trace of his tongue on her earlobe, causing her to suck in a breath immediately. "You want me," He stated boldly as if it was the simplest thing to say. Just like that, he pulled away, leaving without another word to slide back into his seat in the booth as casually as casual could be. And she was left, speechless, breathless, and confused as she had ever been.

* * *

He was stumped, completely at a loss. Roaming the hallways during study hall was something he grew accustomed to whenever his father did not demand that he practiced the extra hour. Usually the roaming was careless, just something that killed time until he was able to go to lunch which was what he had the very next period. Judging by the growls of his stomach, Troy did not believe he would be able to wait that long. Nevertheless, he was determined, his eyes slightly closed as if to be in deep concentration; a gaze he only held when he was extremely focused on the task at hand. Anyone who spent time with Troy on a daily basis would be able to tell from the look on his face that he was surely searching for something. His eyes would darken in the same mysterious way each time, clouded over as his mind hunted for the clues.

Troy was not positive about what had caused him to finally start a search party. For over a year he had considered looking for the girl who had fought her way into his mind, heart, and soul but never had he taken action. Today was the day though, the day that he was convinced that everything would change. Maybe Gabriella had been the final inspiration that caused him to decide that he was going to find his blog girl. He was beginning to develop feelings towards Gabriella that he had not felt towards anyone in a long time, however he felt guilty if he were to pursue her since his mind was made up and transfixed on someone else.

So here he was, lingering in the Literature wing of his school, where all of the English classes were held. He knew he had to start somewhere and creative writing had to be the easiest place. Figuring it would be simple, Troy thought that once he got a hold of classes attendance lists, he could scan the names for any of them that began with "B". From there, he would eliminate, investigate, and do whatever he had to in order to find her. Of course, being loved and cherished by more than half of the school would only work to his advantage since people would gladly help him out in his quest to find this girl.

Turning a sharp corner of a hallway, he found that it was completely empty, deserted, except for a figure crouched on the floor against the wall, appearing to be deep in thought, notepad in hand as her other hand transcribed vigorously. His eyes readjusted as they focused in on the person with their back to the cold lockers, seeming to be off in their own world entirely. His face softened from its hard structure, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. But he caught himself as he strode forward, his face returning serious and grim, knowing from how she was bent over with her dark curls falling in front of her face that she did not expect his arrival. The carpet muffled his the sound of his footsteps, providing him just enough time to slide his back against the lockers beside where she sat, her head snapping up with alarm within seconds. Before Gabriella could even comprehend what had just happened, Troy had eased himself to sit beside her.

Having been the first time she had been able to get a good look at him all morning, Gabriella covered her mouth as she let out a small giggle, taking in the way Troy had dressed as if he had literally rolled right out of bed and drove to school. That was entirely the case. "What's happening, slick?" Gabriella joked, unable to keep a smile from breaking out onto her face.

Troy's shoulder nudged hers, his eyes scanning down to the papers scattered on her lap. "What's this?"

As quick as quick could be, she gathered the papers and pulled them close to her chest, her cheeks betraying her as they became a shade that resembled those of an apple. "Oh, nothing," She stammered, coughing to clear her throat. But she had already had him curious and that would only lead to persistence. His head kinked to the side, giving her an incredulous look that read 'I'm not buying it in the least bit'.

By then, his shoulders had turned inward, his body language reading that he was truly interested but Gabriella would not budge, keeping her writing locked in the safe of her arms. She could never quite understand why she was so private when it came to her writing. Her whole life, she had turned to writing as an escape to the real world, a way to get out the things that she had always been too afraid to say. It wasn't until the accident two years prior that she was desperately seeking a way out, anything at all. And that was when it dawned on her; the internet. With this generation, technology was changing the way that people communicated entirely. While others were preoccupied using the internet for emailing, networking, and instant messaging, Gabriella became a blogger.

It was nothing at first, just something she would do at least once a week to write down her thoughts. But the weeks turned into months and when she began to get feedback on her writing, Gabriella felt as though in some way, she was making a difference. Though she believed that she was cowardly by keeping her blogging semi-anonymous, Gabriella still felt as though it was an even bolder statement to put your words out there. In a world where ideas and thoughts are shot down everyday, she would do anything to consider herself brave. No matter how far she had come in writing and becoming more in touch with her emotions, she knew that she was not ready to share with her readers and with anyone else for that matter who she really was.

"No really, come on. What is it?" His reaching fingers barely grazed the edges of the notebook paper before she sprung to her feet.

"Just math homework," Gabriella shrugged, hoping that he was believing her.

Troy laughed, "If you're that protective over math homework, are you still sure you cannot play basketball?" He stood slowly, his calm temperament surprising her. "Because if you can protect a ball like that, you'd be perfect back on defense."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, tucking her papers safely in the confinements of her folder, stuffing it deep inside of her backpack. "Nope, I'm positive. I am an absolute train-wreck when it comes to basketball," She told him honestly, sticking to her word that she would never play him because that would accomplish nothing but embarrassment for her. "I still refuse to play you."

"One quick game, sometime after school."

"No."

"Just one game, we can wager, it would be fun."

"Nope."

Troy took in her demeanor, her arms folded tightly over her chest. Gabriella exhaled noisily, blowing a loose curl out of her eyes, only to have it fall right back where it was before. Troy smirked, tucking the piece of hair behind her ear before she could even protest, his hand barely brushing over the skin of her cheek. And he found himself getting lost once more when he knew that this was not where he was meant to be and this was not what he had planned on doing. He cleared his throat, his hand returning to his side lamely. "So, what are you doing anyway?" He was desperate for a subject of discussion.

"I was kicked out of class."

"You are lying," Troy said without even thinking twice.

Gabriella wished that she had been lying. This second semester at a new school had been a semester of firsts for her; first detention, party, and of course the first time she had ever retorted disrespectfully to a teacher. The part that surprised her was that she did not care, rather she was proud of herself for sticking up for what she believed in. No matter who it was, teacher, adult, or respected elder, Gabriella would not hold back from voicing her opinion, especially if someone is speaking ignorance. When her creative writing teacher had shot down the idea of afterlife entirely, she knew that she could not have been the only one in class who disagreed, simply just the only one who had the courage to speak against the strict teacher.

"If I was lying, then why would I be here right now?"

"Good point."

After a mumbled 'mhm', Gabriella shuffled her feet awkwardly, feeling suddenly unsure. "I think the real question is what are you doing?"

With a slight shrug of the shoulders, Troy played it off as if he had not been on a mission to find anyone after all. "Nothing, just passing class time. Study hall drags on."

Chocolate brown eyes narrowed, disbelief shining clearly in the depths of them. Troy felt the heat rising on his neck. Because of the fact that Gabriella was aware of his quick lie made him all the more nervous and on edge; he was horrible at lying whenever he was put on the spot.

"Are you sure about that?" She tested the waters, her eye brows raising with amusement at the look of bewilderment that took on the features of Troy's face.

"Actually, no," He sighed, rather louder than he had intended to. "I was actually looking for a class."

"A class...?"

"A class," Troy confirmed.

She folded her hands together with false expertise, sliding a pencil behind her ear for a more professional look. "How can I help you?"

His signature smirk fought it's way to his face, his arms folded over his chest almost as if to mimic her earlier posture. "Well..." He had not thought this far and did not know how to word the question that he desperately wanted to ask. All he wanted to know was a list of girls names that attended the creative writing classes. Was that too much to ask? Probably, he figured, which was what initially caused him to refrain from speaking, nearly biting his tongue.

"Well...?"

With a brisk shake of his head, Troy backed out, something that Chad and the rest of the basketball team often referred to as 'punking out'. All this meant was that Troy was going to just forget his main purpose for wandering the halls that day, and make up a lame explanation that would get Gabriella off of his back. "Forget it."

"Forget it?" Troy held Gabriella's full attention now, her eyes clearly studying his every moment, her hearing soaking in his every word.

"Yeah." His tone was short.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged, his arms returning to his side, his cocky like stance taking over. "Exactly how it sounds. Do you want me to spell it out for you?"

She shook her head, her eyes staring at the floor in disappointment. She thought she was going to have a small break through. Gabriella found herself hoping that maybe, just maybe, he was comfortable enough to open up to her, even if it was only a little tidbit of information. Making sure she had all her belongings, all she wanted to do was get out of the current place that she was in. "You're an asshole, you know that right?"

Troy's eyes widened as Gabriella began walking down the hallway, her pace quick, letting him know that he had said something she had not liked. "Whoa, slow down," He called to her as he tried to catch up to her, gaining a tight hold on her arm which caused her to stop abruptly. He spun her, backing her into a nearby locker, stopping his advancing movements when he heard the light sound of her back coming into contact with the locker. "How am I an asshole?"

"Would you like me to spell it out for you?"

"I'm sorry?" He offered, realizing that once again, he had slid back into that side of him that he really did not want her to see. He and his close friends knew that there were two parts of him, almost like good and evil, the super ego and the id.

"Of course you are."

His face scrunched up, his confusion written in his eyes. "Wait, what?"

She let out a sigh, her quickened defensive pace that she was walking slowing as her mind transitioned from angered thoughts to thoughts that were more tranquil. "I feel like...sometimes...I don't know."

"Yeah you do," Troy persisted. "Tell me."

"Sometimes I think you say things just because you know it's what the other person wants to hear."

The words hung there like an uncomfortable tension, the atmosphere uneasy and suddenly filled with more meaning.

"Just tell me what you are really thinking, Troy. There's nothing you could say that is going to make me turn around right now, and walk away for good. I'm hooked, fully interested," Gabriella continued, "And that's the truth. If that's the thing between us that everyone refers to, the thing that everyone is unsure of, then that's that. The thing between us is that I want to desperately get to know you." Gabriella's rambling came to an end as she hoped that her words made sense to Troy and actually conveyed the thoughts that had housed themselves in her mind ever since she had met him on her first day at East High. "And I know that you want to get to know me, too."

Troy felt something new ignite within him and he did not know what it was. He had never felt it before or perhaps maybe he had, he just could not remember the last time that he had. It was confidence- confidence that he had in Gabriella not to back out on her word. She really was not going to desert him and her words were completely genuine. He felt as though all of the confusion of what they were, the bond that they shared, had been lifted as his heavy heart became lighter. Without another thought, he extended his left hand to shake hers, as if meeting someone for the first time.

As he did this he remembered when he was a boyscout in his younger years and he had been taught the significance of the handshake. It had been said that the Europeans would shake with their right hands since their left hands would carry their shield, so that they could protect themselves as they shook the hand of another. What this symbolized was that they did not trust the other person whose hand they were shaking. In contrast, the Africans began shaking hands with their left hands to signify that they were willing to use their hand that held the shield, showing their trust for the other.

"Hey," He spoke slowly, watching a smirk that resembled one of his own, form on Gabriella's face. "I'm Troy."

"Pleasure to meet you, Troy," Gabriella's voice matched his tone. "I'm Gabriella."

And they were finally seeing each other for who they really were for the first time.

"So, where was it again that you were headed?" Gabriella inquired playfully.

"I was looking for a class...well, a girl that I thought would be in one of these classes." Troy told her honestly, watching as the expression on her face remained the same.

It took everything inside of her not to give away what she had been really thinking. She understood that a single twitch of her lip or blink of an eye could lead him to think that she was bothered by this. "Oh?" Gabriella kept her voice steady, portraying her curiosity. "Who is this girl?"

He shrugged just as honestly as before. "I truly have no idea..." Troy watched the new expression make its way on her face, purely reading that she thought he was crazy.

"Then how do you even know where we're going to start?"

"We?" Troy's eye brows rose with gratification.

She nodded with such sureness that he was put at ease. "I'm going to help you find her."

"Well I was thinking a Creative Writing class..."

**October 14th, 2009**

**I learned a lot today. Once you think you have someone completely figured out, a jagged piece is thrown into the puzzle. Clearly it does not fit, causing you to have to begin all over again. People are complex puzzles, whether I want to accept this or not. I cannot snap my fingers and fully understand someone. In order to understand a troubled mind, you have to take the time, piecing together the parts slowly. I'm ready though, more than I've ever been before. Throw me into the mix. Maybe there will be a place for me in the puzzle that is your life. I hope so. **

**-B**


	7. Scarecrow

Thanks for the reviews, I honestly love your feedback. This chapter was incredibly difficult to write- critique all you'd like.

* * *

**"I think I took the wrong path and I need to find my way back. They say you're never too far to start it all again. Am I too far? Maybe I wasn't made for this world."**

**Scarecrow, Between the Trees**

There was a loud clash that came from somewhere on the first floor of the house. A pause followed after the loud noise, then there was the same repetitive clanging of a dish once again, followed by a choked sob. Troy felt a twist in his gut, almost making him feel physically sick. With his face contorted in pain, Troy rose from his bed where he had been lying, his hands loosely hanging by his sides. With heightened senses, he crept into the empty hallway, so silent that his shadow could draw more attention than his uneven breaths. He remained that way as if he were frozen in time, listening as the sobs coming from where he figured to be the kitchen, continued to sound off. Finally Troy expelled a long awaited breath that he had not realized he had been holding inside.

He descended the stairs hesitantly, fearing what he was going to see just as he expected he would see once he reached the kitchen. He could not even pretend as though he were surprised since the person he expected to find was hunched over on the kitchen floor with their whole body trembling as every wave of emotion pulled them further away from the safety of the shore. He sighed, turning his head away from the sight before him for only a brief moment before snapping back into his reality. "Ma, what are you doing?" Troy asked, trying not to sound like he was pulling teeth or talking to a small child. But that was what it felt like sometimes.

"This dish, it fell on the floor," She stated, her voice soft, almost a whisper. "It didn't break though," she continued slowly. "But then it slipped again."

Lucille Bolton had not always been this way. She was raised by her parents who were a part of the working class in America which meant that she was never spoiled and had to work for everything that she had ever gotten in her life. In high school, she had fallen in love with the all star player on the basketball team. But just as everything else in her life, Lucille had to work just as hard to win over the heart of Jack Bolton. Even in the beginning of their relationship she was always a few steps ahead. And she cursed herself mentally for having not seen the early signs.

As a young and naive girl, she had convinced herself that he was the picture of perfection. Jack Bolton maintained his decent grades in school while balancing basketball, not to mention she had found him incredibly handsome at one time. But she could not see it anymore.

His blue eyes no longer shined and she was no longer captivated by the beauty that she had once seen in his face. She found that over the years that she had allowed him to treat her as a doormat, she had grown to resent him.

And Lucille had not always been this way. When she and Jack first got married, their future was so bright. They had a child on the way and Jack was finding alternatives since he had given up his dream of playing college basketball in order to make time for his new family. Now looking back, she thought that she must have been the picture of ignorance, believing that everything was going to be fine...just as he had promised. This was what her life had turned into and Lucille accepted every part of it. She accepted that her husband would now leave the house for weeks at a time, leaving no phone calls and also had not told her that he loved her in what felt like years. And there was only one reason that she accepted this life. That very reason stood before her, emotional pain etched in every line that made up his face.

Irony really was a well...for lack of better words, a _bitch_ sometimes, Lucille thought. She found it to be the strangest thing that she had hated Jack Bolton to the point that it drove her mad; just seeing his face set off a fire inside her. But when she looked at her son who so closely resembled the man that she loathed, she could not help but feel pacified. And he was the only driving force that caused her to still believe in happy endings.

Her mind flashed back to the day when the children in the neighborhood were playing by the old man-made pond by the basketball court at the local park. It was all a blur since the events had replayed in her mind every day that passed since the incident, causing them to mesh together which jumbled what had really happened in her head. All Lucille could remember was the shouts that were once playful, turning into fear. There was another mother nearby shouting that someone call 911. As any caring mother, Lucille arrived at the scene quicker than the flash of a camera, her eyes scanning the crowd of children for her son who was no where to be found. "What happened?" She found herself yelling even though she had sworn to herself that she was going to stay as calm as she possibly could.

"The boy, he dove in," a young girl provided minimal details, only causing Lucille's initial fear to grow in size since aware of how shallow that pond was and that its floor was completely concrete.

It had proven to be difficult to see through the murky water of the pond. _Why was it so damn hard to see through the water?_ Before she could even comprehend what she was doing, Lucille had already jumped off the dock, frantically searching the water with extended arms, opening her eyes under the dirty water with no luck when it came to finding her son.

"Troy Alexander Bolton! You cannot do this to me," She screamed hysterically, only ceasing the wild thrashing of her arms when she heard a familiar melodic giggle behind her. Whipping her head around, she found her son treading the water, a bump already forming on his small head.

"I bang-ded my head on the bottom..." His voice drew out, as if he knew he were about to get in deep trouble. "_Banged_." He corrected himself quickly, knowing how much his mother disliked having to correct him more than once. "I thought I saw something shiny at the bottom."

Her mouth hung open incredulously and that was when she knew; she would devote her life entirely to her son. He was like an angel sent to be the only source of happiness in her life.

_He had not even known how to swim prior to the incident._

And now here she was, feeling as pathetic as she did nearly every day of her life, her son picking up her pieces once again.

"But it's still good Ma," Troy shook her from the memories that were replaying in her mind as he offered a smile that was so obviously forced. "No cracks," He added, taking the dinner dish from her hands, turning it over on its side to prove that his words were the honest truth. "You just might want to try rinsing off the soap before you attempt to dry it," He continued with sarcasm.

She nodded and slowly rose to her feet, smoothing out her work shirt and pretending that her setback that had just occurred did not happen. "Were you around when your father stopped by today?" Lucille asked, trying to sound as casual as she could.

"No, why?"

"He came by today," She pointed out as she resumed cleaning and drying the dishes the correct way.

Troy's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Did he say anything? Or...?"

The corners of her mouth turned up a bit, almost as if she was trying her hardest to smile but it was a task that could not be accomplished. "He left me flowers...my favorite kind."

Lilies, Troy confirmed in his head. "Oh, really?" He tried not to let his voice betray him.

"Yeah, I put them in water, they are in the vase by the window," Lucille said as she gestured to the window in the living room that had a small coffee table in front of it. On top of the table she chose to display the arrangement of lilies, lighting up the small corner of the dull house.

"They're nice," He said coolly, having thought the same thing when he had purchased them a few hours earlier and then left them by the front door.

His mother's mouth parted slightly as if she were about to say something but the sudden ring of the doorbell jarred them both from their own worlds.

"I'll get it," Troy offered, retreating to answer the door when he was sure that his mother was fine, her hand clutching a dish towel tightly in her grasp with determination.

He opened the door, only to step outside after seeing who was on the other side, leaving it open slightly behind him. With his eyes widening slightly, Troy shook his head trying to rid himself of his confusion. Did something happen? How did she know where he lived? Was there something going on that he was not aware of? All these questions began to flood his mind, making it difficult for him to even speak. "What are you doing here?"

"I brought your homework from fifth period since you mysteriously disappeared."

Instead of asking all of the questions that were taking over his thoughts, he opted for the quick and easier way out; take the homework, thank her, and go back inside. There was some kind of mystery that was solved whenever anyone met his mother or saw the house in which he grew up in. Troy would never admit that he was nervous to have her at his doorstep. His eyes widened even more, his head checking over his shoulder to see if his mother had overheard her words. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that his mother was no longer in the kitchen or nowhere else nearby. "Well thanks," Troy said awkwardly after running a hand through his hair then letting it hang lamely at his side.

Gabriella went to speak, her mouth barely ajar when the door opened from the other side, a woman in her early forties peeking outside as she held the door open.

"Are you going to be rude or are you going to invite your friend inside?" Lucille Bolton asked from her new position, her tone half chastising and half joking.

"It's really okay..." Gabriella felt awkward now, shifting uncomfortably where she stood on the Bolton's front patio.

"See, it's fine, Ma."

"No, I insist," Lucille held the door open completely now which caused Troy to look away, avoiding looking at Gabriella entirely. "And what did I hear about you not being in class?"

Gabriella's mouth formed in a small 'o' as Troy began resisting the urge to put his head through the nearest wall. "Oh..oh wow, I'm sorry," Gabriella stammered, having nothing else to say.

"It's alright," He reassured her and she knew that it was the truth by the lightness of his usual smoldering eyes. And the two teenagers remained that way, the sudden awkwardness of the situation fading away as brown met blue.

Interrupting the moment, Lucille continued to keep her firm hand on the front door, keeping it open for Gabriella to enter. "Come in sweetheart," She smiled warmly. "I'm Lucille, Troy's mother."

Gabriella's eyes moved back and forth from Troy to Lucille, her mind putting together their resemblance. Other than the hair color, she could not tell that they were related at all. Lucille had deep hazel eyes, almost border-lining the color brown. The shape of her face was rounder than Troy's, and all together there were no common traits between the two relatives.

"Hello," She spoke slowly and tentively, trying to stall for more time. "I'm Gabriella, Troy's friend." She wondered if what she had said sounded more like a question than a statement. "Yeah, I'm a friend of Troy's," She reinstated in her mind, only to realize that she had spoken aloud.

He was studying her; the way her face was changing different pigments of red, the way she stammered and bumbled when she did not have the words to say. Usually, she never seemed to run out of the right words to choose. It was almost like she had a dictionary in her head that was constantly flipping pages, scanning and searching for the perfect words in every situation that Gabriella was put in.

"Oh...I see." Lucille's smile only grew wider which led to both Troy and Gabriella exchanging nervous glances.

"No, Ma, you got the wrong idea I think." Now it was his turn to stumble over his words. "I mean...yeah?"

This would be the exact moment that the cartoon character would bring their palm to their forehead, deeming themselves as a _dope_, Gabriella thought. She had not realized that she began avoiding the looks from both Troy and Lucille as her eyes wandered around the living room of the Bolton house. It was nothing out of the ordinary; a couch against the wall, a love-seat in the corner with coffee table in the middle of the room and a television set in the most probable place. It was not much but it was his. And whatever was his intrigued her in every way that she would have ever imagined possible.

Troy coughed, pulling Gabriella from her mind where she was currently resided.

"Well...why don't you show her my flowers," Lucille suggested and pointed out what Gabriella had failed to notice before. In the corner of the living room in front of a window and next to the love-seat was a smaller side table which displayed a glass vase of lilies, catching just the right amount of light. She was surprised that she had not noticed them before since now that they had been mentioned, she could not tear her eyes away from them. They pulled the whole room together, almost as if without them, the room would be in pieces.

"Lilies are my favorite," Gabriella said, her eyes never leaving the sight of the flowers.

The expressions on the Bolton's faces changed from light to hard in the matter of seconds upon hearing the crunching of stones in the driveway. Troy was too busy noticing the change in his mother's demeanor to take in Gabriella's confusion.

She felt like a random strangler who had been picked up on the streets and thrown in with people she did not know and was now witnessing a part of their world that they kept so hidden from others. In the midst of the confusion she found herself wondering how long lilies lasted before they became shriveled and ugly, before the beauty they once displayed no longer existed. Lucille swayed as she smoothed out the shirt she was wearing, blocking Gabriella's view of the flowers. This finally made Gabriella take note of the scared and apprehensive look on Lucille's face.

Turning, she looked at Troy for the answers that she did not find.

"Can you take your friend upstairs for a moment?" Lucille asked calmly but her eyes were pleading, the amount of pain in which Gabriella saw there was enough to cause a pang in the pit of her own stomach.

Troy was barely taking in the moment. Gabriella had come over to drop of an assignment, his mother had practically pulled her inside. The relationship between him and Gabriella had been established as nothing more than a friendship but Troy knew his mother had not bought that for a minute. And now the familiar sound of an SUV pulling in to the driveway only meant one thing- his father had decided to return home. For how long, neither he or his mother could be sure.

"Ma..." Troy's voice cracked. He did not want this. He had not prepared for this, he simply was not ready.

"Please."

And that was all it took. Gabriella had felt like all of the air in the house had been used up, her breath she was holding until she felt Troy tugging her hand up the stairs and down a darkened hallway. She was in a movie, her feet were barely even carrying her. He had pulled her into a room where she could not see anything.

Finally there was the clicking of a switch and there was light. Troy was quick on his feet, opening the blinds that had shaded his room prior to their entrance and kicking dirty laundry on his floor until it formed a pile that was still sloppy nonetheless. Gabriella's world was spinning as she watched his motions, as he disappeared and reappeared with a stereo in hand, his fingers clutching the plug as began desperately searching for a socket. She could see the anxiety in his eyes as she began to search as well, not knowing what else she could possibly do. After what felt like years, the stereo came to life, with music so loud it caused Gabriella to wince with each beat of the drum.

Troy refused to look at her as he sat on the edge of his bed, his face in his hands as if his head were in excoriating pain. This gave Gabriella the time she needed to take in her surroundings, feeling like an explorer who had discovered a new piece of land. To her dismay, she found this 'piece of land' depressing and bare; the walls completely white without a single form of decoration. She searched left and right for a poster, a picture, anything...but was only disappointed. There was a dresser, an unmade bed, a closed door which she figured to be a closet and some clutter on the floor.

Her world continued to spin and she knew his was too. Never had she expected her night would turn out this way. She was positioned like a forgotten child in the corner of Troy's bedroom, having no other choice but to watch his pain. There was no longer any movement from him and neither of the teens labored breathing could be heard over the stereo as it blasted the chorus of songs that served as nothing else but static noise.

They would have never known what was happening on the floor beneath them if it was not for the CD switching tracks, the few seconds of silence between songs causing Troy to flinch when he heard the shattering of glass. And he shook, convulsing, breaking down just as vase had.

His fingers worked at his hair, tugging on the short dark strands as his vision was trained solely on the floor. And he would have stayed that way for the rest of the night if it was not for the soft but cold hand, that had covered one of his frantic ones. Slowly, Troy lifted his head, his eyes connecting with the girl whose presence he had almost forgotten. And just like that, it was happening all over again. She refused to back down or break their gaze, just simply took in every emotion he was feeling, she could feel it just from seeing those pained baby blues. Willingly or not, his hand responded, clasping hers with a force that was unbreakable. Gabriella was not sure completely about what was going on just down a flight of stairs but it was enough to make her cry, but Gabriella pushed the feeling back, knowing that it was not her time to be weak.

She would help him simply because she knew that no matter how much he denied it, he needed help more than anyone.

Troy stood on unstable legs, never looking away from her. He gestured towards a cracked window that had a ladder set up next to it, purposefully of course. Gabriella followed suit with a tight lip, knowing that now was no time to complain over her irrational fear of heights.

It was almost as if her feet were doing all of the thinking since she could not comprehend what was going on and before she even knew it- her feet hit the ground. Her cheeks were wet, her eyes clouding over again as she did nothing more but follow Troy as he walked, his strides fast and far apart, like he was fleeing the scene of a crime. She tried her hardest, his previous words taunting her mind, "_Just keep up, ok_?" His pace only slowed after rounding the corner of his street where he flopped like a defeated soldier on a nearby patch of grass.

With roaming hands, Troy reached into his pocket, pulling out his box of cancer-sticks and a lighter. Shortly after he began to inhale whatever his smokes had to offer him, Gabriella appeared, puffy-eyed and out of breath.

There had been a long period of silence, it was almost too long. Inside, Gabriella felt as though she were being tortured gruesomely.

"What. the. hell." She barely managed to say the words, her voice airy and panting.

This was it, he was going to have to explain his entire life to this girl. This girl he really did not know too much about, this girl who made him feel like...

His eyes snapped up to meet her raging brown eyes in an intense staring battle. She was demanding answers._ And he still did not have them._

"What did I say about those!" She said desperately, referring to the cigarrettes. That was when Troy knew she was going to talk about what had just happened only if he wanted to.

There was more silence as he hesitantly put out his cigarette, staring out into the distance, looking at nothing at all.

Gabriella was lying flat on her back, longer strands of grass were itchy against her face but she was coping. She looked up at the watercolor sky that hung above their heads. Somewhere in between the time that she had walked to his house and now there had been a takeover of pinks and oranges as the sun set. Sighing noisily, her mind was screaming throughout her and Troy's silence. So many questions had been left unanswered but at the same time...everything was beginning to make sense to her. His family issues were what caused him to act out in school, why he never seemed to care about things that a 'normal' teenager would. "You..."

Troy's attention deviated to her in milliseconds upon hearing her voice. She had thought she was thinking in her head but now she felt completely trapped.

"What?" He dared to ask, the first word he had spoke in what felt like centuries.

She sighed once more, her eyes drifting closed almost dreamily. "You seem like you would have the nicest smile."

* * *

"What happened?" Sharpay demanded as she and Gabriella walked in the direction of their first period class after homeroom the next morning.

Gabriella shrugged.

"Explain in full detail, something had to have happened," She babbled on, the look on her perfectly powdered face was pure puzzlement. "Troy disappeared off the face of the earth!" The blonde continued. "He never showed at lunch or fifth period yesterday, we sent you with an assignment and now he's still not here..." Throwing her head back, Sharpay groaned.

"You are so frustrating! Chad and I wanted you to take his work to him, we wanted the scoop."

"What?" Gabriella asked, her voice coming out raspy.

Now Sharpay was the one who shrugged. "I don't know what it is, but he's been more open since you have come around. Feel lucky, I don't know, do with it what you will but at least let me know what is going on!" She insisted, nothing but concern laced in her voice. "He's one of my best friends, the best friend of my boyfriend and he just worries us so much sometimes," Sharpay fanned her eyes, feeling them well up with tears. "You may think I'm being dramatic but if you have only seen the way he gets sometimes..."

But she had seen it. Gabriella almost shuddered at the amount of tension and pain that made up the Bolton household.

"Was he sick? Is it just a cold maybe?" Sharpay continued to ask questions.

"He was fine when I dropped off the assignment from Darbus, he did not seem sick in the least bit," Gabriella informed, trying not to bump into anyone passing by her in the hallways of the high school.

Sharpay sighed, "Something must have happened..."

Gabriella tried to recall the events from the previous night but they were all a blur in her head, almost as if they were a drunken stupor that did not exist. From the corner of his street, the two teenagers had sat in silence, the only noise was the passing of cars as they drove by. After some time, Troy had walked her home to an empty house, barely any words or looks exchanged between them. She remembered falling asleep that night in the same silence that had consumed her and Troy, tears flowing freely down her face. It had been awhile since she had felt so broken. There were times when she could not figure out what she was feeling inside besides this intense loneliness taking over every inch of her body. She had felt desperate for something...she was not sure what it was though.

She could not believe the look on his face. Never had she seen someone so fragile. At any given moment, he could completely deteriorate, becoming like the little broken shards of his mother's favorite vase. And now her friend was asking her these questions that she did not have the answers to. Gabriella knew she would never be able to explain in words what had happened last night. Whenever she tried to wrap her mind around it, she only wanted to cry.

"What the fuck," Sharpay's whisper drew Gabriella away from her own thoughts as she lifted her gaze to see where Sharpay was looking.

That was when she saw him.

He was looking as healthy as he ever did. For once, his face was not hidden by a dark hood. He was sporting a white t-shirt and dark jeans, his focus was directly in front of his steps.

"Why does he look so different?" Gabriella heard Sharpay ask the same question that was running through her own mind.

Troy was getting closer now, his facial expressions stunning Gabriella momentarily. She had not realized that she had stopped walking and was now standing still, blocking up the hall to anyone trying to get around her. He looked over in their direction, not making exact eye contact with either of them, only nodding as if to let them know that he was fine. That was when something clicked in Gabriella's mind. Troy was different. The posture of his back was enough for her to know this for sure. There was definitely something different about him...something that he possessed.

Hope.

**October 20th, 2009**

**I never thought I would officially become a Wildcat but I soon will be. My entire life I have only cheered for them because I had always thought of them as 'my team', even though they were not. They were your team; the team that you played on when you were in high school. I built my life by only wanting to be apart of what you were apart of. You were who I looked up to, who I turned to and who was always there. My rock, my safety-net, my everything. It's so different now that you're gone, I went for days without getting out of bed. From there, I went out and began to do everything that I was not supposed to do. When I look back and ask myself why...I really don't know. When I was forced to get help, I was told that it was nothing but a cry for attention. But if I really had to put a name to what it was I would say that it was my bravado. I was trying to prove that I was not afraid. The risky behavior only made me feel closer to you...my rock, my saftey-net, my everything. Then I wondered what you would have to say about how I had acted out and that thought alone makes my heart feel empty. I am not afraid. But the proof is no longer in my actions..only in my mind and in these words that I write.**

**-B **


	8. The Cave

**"It's empty in the valley of your heart. The sun, it rises slowly as you walk away from all your fears and faults you've left behind."**

**The Cave, Mumford and Sons**

He was jarred from his peaceful slumber, sheets tangled with his legs like a serpent that had him in its clutches. Before his mind began to fully kick in to gear, he wondered what he looked like when he first woke up in the morning. He was hoping that he resembled a mix of Tom Cruise, not jumping on the couch Tom Cruise but rather_ Risky Business _Tom, and Brad Pitt. He angled his face to the side, pursing his lips as if he were allowing a paparazzi's camera to zero in on his profile. Yeah, he could tell that he looked hot. He would bet on anything that he looked like a million dollars at that very moment...if only he had something that could show him precisely what he looked like. What was that word again, he scratched his head as pure puzzlement took over his expression.

Finally, he dragged himself out of bed and trudged miserably into the nearest bathroom while he tiredly rubbed at his brown eyes. These early morning practices before classes were literally killing him. Maybe not literally. Reaching for the cold handle, he pulled, the sound of the rushing water nearly making him jump. He would never be used to waking at this hour. He cupped his hands together, making a bowl to hold under the spigot as he collected the freezing water in his hands before splashing it on to his awaiting face. He lifted his head finally, his eyes boring into the eyes of his reflection which again, almost made him jump. Either that or squeal like a pig in fright.

After collecting himself, he smoothed out his wrinkled white t-shirt that he had worn to bed, taking a step backwards. "Oh..." He nodded while he took pride in himself. "A _mirror_," he remembered the word he had been searching for in bed a few minutes before as a smile spread on his lopsided face.

At East High, Jason Cross was known as the class clown and also a comic relief for the basketball team. Whenever they were down and believed there was no shot at winning a game, all the Wildcats needed was to turn to Jason. Just a comment or anything generally that was spoken by him would cause the beaten players to laugh and the tense atmosphere became lighter. Jason was however not known as the brightest student, therefore he had to work twice as hard to remain on the basketball team, maintaining at least a 'C' average in his classes. He hung around with that one specific crowd that everyone knew about- everyone talked about. No, he was not a person who would blindly follow a leader but it often appeared that way.

If any other student was asked who they thought was the leader of that particular group of basketball players that all referred to themselves as best friends, their answer would be Chad Danforth. At one time, it might have been different but now, Chad clearly had the strongest head on his shoulders. No one thought of Jason as someone who would play follow the leader, but then again Jason _needed_ guidance. He needed to hang out with his basketball friends, Sharpay, and any other girlfriends that were welcomed in their posse. Jason believed that he needed them; they kept him in line, kept him from being misunderstood.

And now, suddenly his whole setup felt threatened. Jason sighed, pulling on any clothes he could find in the never-ending heap of laundry that made up his bedroom floor. He sniffed his armpit areas, making sure that his final choice had in fact been clean clothes and then nodded with achievement. He had started every morning since the last playoff game the same way, waking up too early, getting dressed in a dazed rush, then heading out the door to the school's gymnasium where the Wildcats held morning practices. A part of him almost wanted to just lose so that they were out of the race to the Championships so that he did not have to deal with all of the stress but he knew that Coach Bolton would never have that. In a way, the older version of Troy scared him.

Upon entering his kitchen, Jason grabbed whatever food was closest to him which turned out to be a chocolate chip muffin. He could not fight the smile off of his face. Maybe today was going to be different. Maybe it would be a good day.

Of course, he had been wrong.

After arriving at the gym that morning for practice, Jason immediately noticed that there was something off. Chad was running the practices and directing the team while Troy participated with little effort and little care. The heated glares that Chad was passing at Troy seemed to be going unnoticed by only Troy himself who continued to run his suicides leisurely, not keeping up with the rest of the pack who were sharing nervous glances.

Chad Danforth was pissed. He was livid. Just when his best friend looked as though he were making progress, he regressed, returning back to his state of being a hermit, skipping classes and giving up on basketball entirely. Chad would never be able to understand Troy, he finally decided as he became more annoyed. What could have gone wrong? Was there something he was missing? He was his best friend and he believed that it was his duty to know what was going on in Troy's life. But Troy would never let it be known, cutting people out of his life as if he simply didn't care. And he didn't. That was what angered Chad the worst.

"Hey, Bolton!" Chad called as the team took a break, lingering around the water cooler like bees interrupting a picnic.

Troy was sitting on one of the many rows of bleachers that aligned the perimeter of the gymnasium. He was situated as far as he felt from the rest of his teammates; his teammates whom he knew he was letting down. He knew that there was no surprise there. However, he was surprised about how he was reacting to Jack Bolton officially moving out. When he was younger, Troy would imagine the day in his head- always picturing that he would celebrate. The marriage of Jack and Lucille had been prolonged, like a lengthy film that no one would bother sitting through because there was not a happy ending. Troy had been forced to watch the entire film.

He hated this, when he slipped back into one of his moods. No one could cut through the funk that he was in. Troy had been trying to control his own emotions but now he felt as though he no longer had them. He felt immune to pain, immune to any other obstacle that was thrown his way. He could no longer feel. Permanently numb.

"Yeah?" He answered, preparing for the onslaught of words from his friend that were supposed to steer him back to the right course, back to making sacrifices for his team.

"Do I need to define the word 'team' for you?" Chad asked with an edge to his voice. Troy had been dead on about his prediction, Chad was all too easy to decifer.

Troy shrugged, wiping at the sweat that had been forming around his brow line. He stole a quick glance at the door, appearing as though he were waiting for something or someone to arrive. Taking notice of this, Chad seethed.

"You're selfish," He spat while his hand motioned to the entire team who were now watching their two leaders. The two boys contrasted like day and night; one entirely devoted to the Wildcats, the other waiting for something to take him away from it all. "We have all worked too hard for you to fuck it up."

Troy's eyes narrowed, not in a defensive way but rather as though he were considering his friend's words. He let them pass through his mind, soaking it in like a sponge. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Troy dared to ask, "What is 'it' exactly?"

"It!" Chad exclaimed. He was exasperated and it was too early in the morning for this. "The playoffs, trying to be champions, trying to figure out what the hell has been up your ass."

"I'm sorry that your playoffs don't mean as much to me as they do for you," he said earnestly and that was all that he could offer.

"They're your playoffs, too."

"They're actually all of ours," Jason chided, holding up his finger as if he had discovered something new.

Chad was caught off guard for a moment before he returned to Troy who looked just as unphased as he had before the conversation began to take place. "Exactly." He paused and then shook his head with disgust. "We're all a team here. If you don't care anymore and don't want to be apart of it...leave."

So he did.

* * *

He had always wondered if you could physically feel a shift in the Earth's plates. Even if it was too minor to cause an earthquake. There would be times that he would stop whatever it was that he was doing and for a few split seconds, he swore he could feel it. He leaned his back against the coolness of the wall outside of the gym, trying to keep his cool and look as collected as he could. But he felt as if he did not belong there. He wanted to leave.

The warning bell sounded suddenly, letting all students know that homeroom was only five minutes away. Troy searched around him for the nearest clock to confirm that the bell was not screwing with him. He sighed as he let the time of the day sink in. 7:15 AM. He still had to last a full school day. Hoping that it would go by as quickly as basketball practice had, Troy pushed off from where he was stationed against the wall, keeping his head low as he navigated through the semi-crowded halls.

Hoping to remain incognito, Troy slid into his usual seat for homeroom but only got the complete opposite reaction than he had intended. Mrs. Darbus pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose, her eyes squinting to make sure that they had seen correctly as she looked up from the pile of papers she had been grading. Troy Bolton had finally arrived to homeroom on time for what had to be the first occurrence all year. He pretended not to notice the stares he had attracted, hunching over in his seat to avoid any kind of eye contact.

Troy had been missing for the past few days, appearing whenever he pleased to catch a class or two. Now everyone was made aware that he was in fact alive, despite the rumors that had been circulating.

"Troy Bolton!" Mrs. Darbus exclaimed, her hands clasping together on top of the papers with a beaming grin on her face. "I'm so glad to see that you're feeling better!"

His blue eyes narrowed in confusion as his head rose from where it had been resting on the cold surface of his desk. "Yeah uh...thanks," He spoke slowly as if he could not configure the right words.

"Very well," the batty teacher shot back, seemingly all too pleased with herself. This was exactly the reason why he preferred missing homeroom.

The gentle touch of a hand landing on his shoulder brought him back to his reality, giving him a reason for being there and also a reason not to find his life a complete waste of time. "Hey," her greeting was warm and simple with a smile to match. The feeling of remorse settled in his stomach, he had not spoken to her since the night she had dropped off his homework. He wondered how many people she had told of the incident, how many people now would look at him and snicker behind their palms because they now knew the truth. Everyone would soon know what really went on at the place Troy was disgusted to call his home. In the matter of seconds, the expression on his face turned to anger as if to question what kind of person Gabriella was.

He was starting to think that she was getting too close too soon. She was like anyone else that he could not trust. But then again, there was something different about her. There was something that could keep him interested and coming back for more. Gabriella had served as a spark that had lit a flame inside of him and now Troy believed that her witnessing his home life would scare her away.

"Hey." He forced a reply, not knowing what else he could possibly say to make the air around him lighter.

Sensing his apprehension, Gabriella leaned closer to stall for time. "It hasn't been the same around here without you," she said honestly, keeping her voice low so that Sharpay who had just entered the room, staring with interest, could not hear. Ever since Gabriella had taken the assignments to the Bolton household, Sharpay had began assuming that something had taken place between the two teenagers. The blonde continued to insist that they shared too much chemistry for their unspoken 'relationship' to be nonexistent. Gabriella figured it was just the theater inside Sharpay coming out whenever she spoke those kind of phrases. Sharpay had been drilling nonstop questions, questions that Gabriella honestly did not have the answers to. She was no where near sure of where she and Troy stood.

Some would call them friends but Gabriella did not think that they were even on that level. Do guys like Troy even have friends...she had questioned herself countless times. She was more than certain that she was born to have a career in journalism so it was a natural instinct for her to take interest in the mystery that was Troy. He kept to himself, his head trained to the floor while girls continuously stared in awe.

"Seems just about the same to me," His answer came with a shrug as he took in the four walls that surrounded them. There was no doubt that he hated this place. He felt completely out of place; like the only black sheep in a sea of white.

Gabriella rolled her eyes, sinking back further into her seat. No wonder people thought he was a lost cause; he froze people out as if he just could not care less. "Yeah well, great to have you back," she said, her tone becoming sarcastic.

He turned sideways in seat so that he had a lateral view of the front of the classroom and her at the same time. "Trust me, I want to be here as much as I'm wanted here."

His tone was low and serious, his blue eyes darkening as he pretended to study a scuff mark on the linoleum floor of the classroom.

"I want you here."

This caused him to finally look up at her, their eyes connecting on nothing but each other. It had been the first time that brown met blue since the night that Gabriella had randomly appeared on his doorstep.

Troy had woken up that morning with disappointment lingering in the pit of his stomach since he knew he had to finally cut the crap and return to school. That disappointment had doubled in size after he let down his entire team and his best friend. But for the moment that he allowed her eyes to take him in; his thoughts, his worries, and disappointments began to fade away. There was nothing more that troubled him.

As quickly as it happened, Troy shook his head lightly, as if trying to rid himself of the feeling that the girl who had entered his life by fate caused him. Girls like Gabriella made him rethink the stories of guardian angels that he had been told as a small child. But then he would remember that guardian angels don't trip over you when they first meet you and they don't sing with you in your car.

He wanted to ask who she was. He really did not know. Thinking back, he remembered when Jason accused her of being a spy on her first day at the new school. Maybe that was exactly what she was. Maybe she was sent to make him fall for her, quit the basketball team, lose the championships...

If that was true, she was doing a pretty damn good job so far.

However, Troy knew that the idea of Gabriella being a spy was complete nonsense but there was no denying that she haunted him- always lingering in his mind.

He had no retort or comment he could say back, she had wiped him out and left him speechless.

* * *

"He's not coming," Chad assured his girlfriend who was scanning her beady eyes repetitively over the throngs of students entering the cafeteria.

"But I thought he was doing better," the blonde pouted, settling back into a sitting position in her usual seat at their lunch table.

Jason's eyebrows furrowed in confusion after hearing part of the conversation. "Is Troy sick?"

Chad had to bite his tongue to resist calling Jason any names. He was angry with his best friend and no one else. He did not want to take it out on someone who did not deserve it. Sighing, Chad shook his head slowly. "No, he's just not himself."

"Who is he then?"

"Can you give it a rest, Jase?" Zeke piped up, feeling completely defeated, even though the Wildcats had not even played their next playoff game and wouldn't until the following day.

Gabriella felt uncomfortably out of place as she ate her lunch normally, just as she would any other day. The whole table was uneasy, fearing the worst; their captain would not pull through. She was the only person who really knew why he had been off lately and she knew it was not anything she would bring up in a conversation. What she had heard at Troy's house she considered confidential. Her lips were sealed on the matter of Troy Bolton acting 'out of character' as Sharpay had called it, referring to his personality change.

"Maybe he just has more on his mind than basketball," Gabriella offered, feeling the need to defend his name. She knew the moment she finished speaking that she had made a mistake as Sharpay shot her a look that demanded for her to confess everything that was on her mind. But Gabriella would had a strong head and there was no way that a threatening look could get her to start talking.

Jason nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I always have a lot on my mind," he shared with the group who all seemed to be off in their own world.

Chad Danforth was lost. He had turned down the wrong road only to find himself at a dead end. Over the years, he had put up with Troy being as moody as a PMSing girl but still managed to call him his best friend. There were many times that Chad wanted to give up, he did not know how much more of Troy's games he could take. But in the end, Chad knew that he would never be able to give up on his friend. That was what troubled him the most- Troy could so easily give up.

He had witnessed Troy giving up several times. There was once a time that Troy attempted to get to school on time but he had given up on that. Another time was a few years back, Troy wanted to drop basketball and take up a new sport. He chose football but could not handle practices being held every day in the hot summer sun of August; he had given up.

And now history was repeating itself.

"Maybe...maybe," Chad shook his head, internally struggling to figure out just what he had meant to say. He was too preoccupied and stressed to focus on basketball, his troubled friend and school work at the same time. "You could try talking to him?"

There was silence as everyone's eyes remained on Gabriella who was too busy chewing her sandwich to notice that he was speaking to her. Finally, after a prolonged moment, Gabriella darted her head left to right, only to confirm to herself that the request indeed had been directed at her.

"Me?" She finally managed to ask, confusion etched on her features.

"Yeah!" Sharpay joined in, her hazel eyes lighting up at her boyfriend's idea. "You're about the only person he really talks to these days."

Gabriella eyes widened in realization. Though the conversations of her and Troy could be pointless and short, they at least still talked. Troy, the boy who never said more than a few words had picked her to talk to, even if it wasn't much. And that meant something to her.

"Besides," Sharpay's voice dropped as she held up one of her thoroughly moisturized hands to shield her mouth so that no one else could read her lips, "It could give you two more time to...you know."

"No, I don't know," Gabriella whispered tersely as she gathered up her belongings, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

"Go get him, tiger!" Sharpay exclaimed with a laugh, finally succeeding in lightening the moods of all of the basketball players who had been discouraged.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and fought off her own laugh as she walked out of the cafeteria after hearing Jason's question, "Don't you mean, Wildcat?"

* * *

She had expected him to be there and that was exactly why she walked up the flight of stairs with hesitation. The rooftop garden was the only place that she thought he would be. If he was there, she was not sure what she could possibly say to him; she didn't even know what his friends wanted her to tell him.

Gripping the railing tighter, Gabriella inhaled a sharp breath, feeling a sudden sense of deja vu, reminded of the first time she had ever officially spoken to the ex basketball captain. She took in his posture, his forearms dangling over the side of the building, his hood-covered head hanging as he slouched. Never in her life had she seen someone appear to be so broken.

"Don't jump," she joked, just as she had before but this time she feared she had chosen the wrong words when she was answered only by silence and birds chirping in the nearby distance. "Troy?" Gabriella tried calling his name tentatively, the hesitation on her face masked over with concern when she noticed the contours of his back trembling. Her eyes scanned over him, trying to see if she could make out anything different about him; something had changed. As she did, she noted the loose cord that poked out of his jean pocket and disappeared, causing her to assume that he was listening to his music as he usually did. She opted to approace him slowly, with every intent not to scare him out of his wits.

History repeated itself as her hand fell to his shoulder, squeezing lightly to let her presence be known. "Troy," she said his name again, this time her voice softer when she saw his ear pieces dangling on their wire before him. Immediately after the name was spoken, Troy turned his head the opposite direction as if to hide himself. "It's okay," she assured him, even though she did not have the slightest clue of what she was assuring. Taking a few steps back, Gabriella settled on to the bench that decorated the roof of the high school. "You won't even know I'm here."

She was curious, as she always was but this time there was something more. She undoubtedly knew that he was upset but she always knew of how much she detested when people saw her when she was upset. So she would give him the time he needed. With her eyes trained to the black ballet-like flats she had picked out of her closet this morning, Gabriella closed her eyes, pretending she was somewhere else; some place better. She would wait, she would wait until he was ready and that was all she really could do.

"What the fuck are you doing here, anyway?"

The eight words of the loaded question cut through her as her gaze suddenly snapped upright to meet his piercing stare, filled with such anger and hate that only led her to believe that she had made a terrible mistake.

"I just thought I'd see-"

"What?" Troy cut her off venomously. "See if I was anymore fucked up then I was before? See if I've finally cracked, right? Because that's what you think. That's what you saw."

She shook her head slowly, not wanting to match fire with fire as she remained calm. "I never once thought that, Troy. I just wanted to see if you were alright, okay? I'm sorry." She said as she stood up, brushing off her hands on her pants while she did.

"I'm great," He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"That's great then," She sighed, retreating to the door so that he wouldn't be able to see the hurt on her face, the rejection she felt ever since she knew that there was someone else in his life. While her newfound friends secretly rooted for some kind of relationship to kindle between her and Troy, she knew the truth. He was holding out for someone better, someone who meant more to him than she ever would. Gabriella felt as though she was simply wasting her time, messing with her head as she tried to sooth the stress out of a troubled boy who had entered her life my fate.

"Wait."

As her hand gripped on to the cold railing, she froze knowing that she would wait, even if everything inside of her wished against it.

The moment she turned, he finally had the chance to look at her. All of a sudden, it felt like the first time he had ever seen her. The image of her singing in his truck without a care or worry played through his mind, stunning him momentarily. Usually, she had a gleam in her eye- much like the sun reflecting on a body of water. It was there as a mark of happiness, an aspect of her personality that she seemed she would never have enough of. But now, as he looked at her, Troy felt as though someone had taken a strong fist to his gut, all of the air supply leaving his body. There was no happiness in those brown eyes that he could not get out of his head. She was just a teenage girl, dressed in her finest pair of dark denim skinny jeans and a hooded jacked pulled over her head of ebony curls. She never wore make-up, and as Troy looked at her he knew that she would never need it. Raw and vulnerable, Gabriella stood before him.

His mouth was hanging open, ready to speak but his throat had become dry and he was ridden of all words. As quickly as he had told her to stay, Troy bit his tongue with immediate regret before shaking his head. "Nevermind."

Cowardly, he couldn't tear his eyes from his shoes pretending to notice something there. But he did not know that the facade was no longer needed.

She was gone.

**October 22nd, 2009**

**Sometimes this uneasy feeling spreads from my stomach until it's the only thing I know. Maybe it's the nerves of transferring.  
Maybe things are changing so rapidly that I can't keep up. All I know is that I have a horrible case of writer's block and I simply need a break.  
Stay beautiful.**

**-B**


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